Question 1

Raj has noticed that the members within his team seem to forgo personal opinions quite quickly to come to common solutions. He is concerned that this may be leading to suboptimal solutions. Raj is concerned the team may
A)have become too informal
B)be too independent.
C)suffer from synergy.
D)be experiencing groupthink.
E)be demonstrating social loafing.

Accepted Answer

Groupthink occurs when a group prioritizes harmony and consensus over critical evaluation, leading to suboptimal decisions. Raj's observation suggests this phenomenon.

Question 2

A group of customer service representatives at a call center who are managed by the same supervisor are part of a(n)
A)research and development team.
B)informal group.
C)command group.
D)task force.
E)interest group.

Accepted Answer

A command group consists of individuals who report directly to a given manager or supervisor, as in the case of the customer service representatives managed by the same supervisor.

Question 3

Eliza is part of a(n)________ group within her company and looks forward to Friday Funday each week, when members socialize in the break room at the end of the day.
A)command
B)virtual
C)interest
D)ad hoc
E)friendship

Accepted Answer

Eliza is part of a friendship group, which is characterized by social interactions and personal relationships, such as the Friday Funday socializing event.

Question 4

For a self-managed team to be most effective, a manager must
A)try to anticipate and solve problems for the team before they arise.
B)provide close supervision for all the team activities.
C)choose members for the team solely on the basis of their educational qualifications.
D)provide training in the required fields to all the team members.
E)give team members limited autonomy and responsibility for their tasks.

Accepted Answer

Providing training in the required fields ensures that all team members have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their tasks effectively, which is crucial for the success of a self-managed team.

Question 5

A(n)________ would be best suited for designing the long-term strategic plan for an organization.
A)informal team
B)cross-cultural group
C)top-management team
D)research and development
E)interest group

Accepted Answer

A top-management team is responsible for setting the long-term strategic direction of an organization, as they have the authority and perspective needed to make high-level decisions.

Question 6

In comparing group sizing, members in a larger group ________ than members in a smaller group.
A)interact more with each other
B)are generally more motivated
C)find it easier to share information with one another
D)have more resources at their disposal
E)tend to be more committed

Accepted Answer

Larger groups typically have more resources at their disposal due to the increased number of members contributing to the group's overall capabilities.

Question 7

Task forces are generally
A)permanent groups and often referred to as ad hoc committees.
B)composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and socialize with one another.
C)managers or nonmanagerial employees from various departments or divisions who meet to solve a specific, mutual problem.
D)managers who form to focus on their own goals beyond overall organizational needs.
E)not used to addressing recurring or long-term problems.

Accepted Answer

Task forces are typically temporary groups formed to address specific issues or problems, often involving members from different departments to leverage diverse expertise.

Question 8

________ exists when group members make separate, independent contributions to group performance.
A)Sequential task interdependence
B)Total task dependence
C)Reciprocal task dependence
D)Simultaneous task interdependence
E)Pooled task interdependence

Accepted Answer

Pooled task interdependence exists when group members make separate, independent contributions to group performance, where each member's output is combined to form the group's output.

Question 9

________ task interdependence exists when group members must perform specific tasks in a prescriptive order.
A)Sequential
B)Partial
C)Pooled
D)Reciprocal
E)Uniform

Accepted Answer

Sequential task interdependence occurs when tasks must be completed in a specific order, with each step depending on the completion of the previous one.

Question 10

A toy manufacturer wants to assemble a team to market a new toy across the country. A(n)________ group would be best for this purpose.
A)formal
B)research and development
C)ad hoc
D)friendship
E)interest

Accepted Answer

The answer of A toy manufacturer wants to assemble a...

Question 11

Environmentally conscious members within a company organize weekly meetings to discuss how their company can use fewer Styrofoam cups and less paper. The members constitute a(n)________ group.
A)virtual
B)formal
C)command
D)interest
E)friendship

Accepted Answer

An interest group is formed by individuals who share a common concern or interest, such as reducing environmental impact, and they come together to discuss and promote their shared goals.

Question 12

________ refers to how much influence the work of one group member may have on the work of another.
A)Reciprocity
B)Division of labor
C)Social loafing
D)Task interdependence
E)Pooling

Accepted Answer

Task interdependence refers to the extent to which the work of one group member affects the work of another, indicating how closely team members must work together to complete tasks.

Question 13

Machinists in a manufacturing plant who have worked together for many years and report to the same shop foreman exemplify a
A)friendship group.
B)virtual team.
C)cross-functional group.
D)self-managed team.
E)command group.

Accepted Answer

A command group consists of individuals who report directly to a manager or supervisor, such as the shop foreman in this scenario.

Question 14

________ are task forces that are relatively permanent.
A)Interest groups
B)Informal groups
C)Standing committees
D)Virtual groups
E)Self-managed teams

Accepted Answer

Standing committees are task forces that are relatively permanent, as they are established to address ongoing issues or functions within an organization.

Question 15

Which statement is true about a command group?
A)A command group is an example of an informal group.
B)A command group is composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and socialize with one another.
C)A group of interns who work in a hospital and have lunch together twice a week constitute a command group.
D)A command group is composed of the CEO, the president, and the heads of the most important departments.
E)A command group consists of employees who report to the same supervisor.

Accepted Answer

A command group consists of employees who report to the same supervisor, forming a formal organizational structure.

Question 16

A company's CEO is assembling a top-management team. By selecting members who possess different expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience, the CEO is promoting
A)diversity.
B)individualism.
C)groupthink.
D)social loafing.
E)division of labor.

Accepted Answer

By selecting members with different expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience, the CEO is promoting diversity, which involves bringing together individuals with varied backgrounds and perspectives.

Question 17

A sales manager creates a weekly group sales target of $10,000 for her employees. To entice her group members to achieve this target, she rewards each member who reaches $2,000 in sales. This approach creates ________ task interdependence.
A)sequential
B)ordered
C)pooled
D)simultaneous
E)reciprocal

Accepted Answer

Pooled task interdependence occurs when team members work independently and their individual results are combined to achieve the team's overall goal. In this scenario, each member works towards their own sales target, and their individual contributions are pooled to meet the group's sales target.

Question 18

When the CEO of an organization redesigns the organizational chart to define different reporting relationships among the organization's managers, she is essentially creating ________ groups.
A)informal
B)self-managed
C)command
D)virtual
E)interest

Accepted Answer

The CEO is creating command groups, which are defined by the organizational structure and consist of subordinates who report directly to a manager.

Question 19

________ are empowered to assume responsibility and autonomy to complete identifiable pieces of work for an organization.
A)Informal groups
B)Interest groups
C)Command groups
D)Top-management teams
E)Self-managed work teams

Accepted Answer

Self-managed work teams are groups of employees who are given the authority and responsibility to manage themselves and their work, making decisions and solving problems related to their tasks.

Question 20

What challenge might a manager face if choosing a smaller group size to accomplish a project?
A)It is more difficult to motivate the members of smaller groups.
B)Managers need to invest more personal time in facilitating interaction within smaller groups.
C)Developing specialized expertise can be more difficult with smaller groups.
D)Information sharing is more limited within smaller groups.
E)Smaller groups cannot be empowered to self-manage.

Accepted Answer

Smaller groups may lack the diversity of skills and expertise that larger groups have, making it more challenging to develop specialized expertise.

Quiz 15: Effective Groups and Teams

Raj has noticed that the members within his team seem to forgo personal opinions quite quickly to come to common solutions. He is concerned that this may be leading to suboptimal solutions. Raj is concerned the team may

A group of customer service representatives at a call center who are managed by the same supervisor are part of a(n)

Eliza is part of a(n) ________ group within her company and looks forward to Friday Funday each week, when members socialize in the break room at the end of the day.

For a self-managed team to be most effective, a manager must

A(n) ________ would be best suited for designing the long-term strategic plan for an organization.

In comparing group sizing, members in a larger group ________ than members in a smaller group.

Task forces are generally

________ exists when group members make separate, independent contributions to group performance.

________ task interdependence exists when group members must perform specific tasks in a prescriptive order.

A toy manufacturer wants to assemble a team to market a new toy across the country. A(n) ________ group would be best for this purpose.

Environmentally conscious members within a company organize weekly meetings to discuss how their company can use fewer Styrofoam cups and less paper. The members constitute a(n) ________ group.

________ refers to how much influence the work of one group member may have on the work of another.

Machinists in a manufacturing plant who have worked together for many years and report to the same shop foreman exemplify a

________ are task forces that are relatively permanent.

Which statement is true about a command group?

A company's CEO is assembling a top-management team. By selecting members who possess different expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience, the CEO is promoting

A sales manager creates a weekly group sales target of $10,000 for her employees. To entice her group members to achieve this target, she rewards each member who reaches $2,000 in sales. This approach creates ________ task interdependence.

When the CEO of an organization redesigns the organizational chart to define different reporting relationships among the organization's managers, she is essentially creating ________ groups.

________ are empowered to assume responsibility and autonomy to complete identifiable pieces of work for an organization.

What challenge might a manager face if choosing a smaller group size to accomplish a project?