Question 1

Which of the following is a key to effective performance evaluations?

Accepted Answer

Three keys to effective evaluation are: (a) the process should be primarily positive and goal-driven and rarely punitive; (b) the process should include clear expectations; and (c) all team members should participate.

Question 2

Heather is a team leader, and she likes to seek the input of all of her team members before reaching a decision. Heather's leadership style can be described as

Accepted Answer

Group leaders who enact a democratic style reflect that principle in their leadership by engaging as many people as possible in decision making.

Question 3

Which leadership style is most likely to take action on behalf of the group?

Accepted Answer

Some leaders view themselves as having both the authority and the responsibility to take action on behalf of their groups. When decisions need to be made, they make them, usually without asking others in the group what they want. These leaders exhibit an autocratic style.

Question 4

Evan's team has worked together for several years, and he trusts them to make their own decisions with minimal oversight or feedback. Evan's leadership style can be described as

Accepted Answer

Some leaders believe employees and group members should work independently, with little direction or personal involvement from the leader. Leaders with this laissez-faire style rarely interact with employees, give them little feedback on job performance, and generally trust others to make the right decisions.

Question 5

Cruz Design is a web development startup that is launching its first major project. The team leader, Wren, wants to make sure all team members feel equally welcomed and valued. In this scenario, the best leadership style is

Accepted Answer

When it's important that everyone in a group believe he or she has an equal voice in decision making, the democratic style of leadership is the most likely to accomplish that goal.

Question 6

Handlebar Manufacturing has taken on a difficult client order that must be completed quickly. In this scenario, the best leadership style is

Accepted Answer

If the group's priority is to accomplish its tasks quickly, the autocratic style is best because only one person needs to make the decisions.

Question 7

Serena is a team leader at a major law firm. However, most of her team members have the same level of experience as she does and are capable of working with minimal oversight. In this scenario, Serena should adopt a(n) ________ leadership style.

Accepted Answer

The laissez-faire approach can be very effective when group members are proficient at working on their own.

Question 8

An organization in which employees are encouraged to self-organize around projects that meet their interests is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

Increasingly, organizations are seeking to become flatter with fewer layers of management, a more participative approach intended to improve communication and collaboration. An extreme version of this idea is a holacracy, in which organizations seek to allow employees total freedom to self-organize around projects that interest them the most

Question 9

In a business setting, conflict most often occurs when two or more parties have

Accepted Answer

Conflict occurs when two or more interdependent parties enact a struggle over goals they perceive to be incompatible. Especially when groups are faced with decisions, conflict can arise because of perceived differences among members' goals.

Question 10

The strategy for engaging in conflict that represents a high concern for one's own needs and a low concern for the needs of others is the ________ style.

Accepted Answer

The competing style represents a high concern for our own needs and desires and a low concern for those of the other party. The goal is to win the conflict while the other party loses.

Question 11

Dillon is a team leader at a marketing agency. Two of his team members strongly disagree over an aspect of the team's strategy for an upcoming campaign. However, Dillon decides to ignore the conflict in the hope that the problem will resolve itself over time. Dillon's conflict management strategy can best be characterized as

Accepted Answer

The avoiding style demonstrates low concern for both the self and the other party. Adopting this style means ignoring the conflict and hoping it will go away on its own.

Question 12

Important issues are often left unresolved when a group's primary method of managing conflict is

Accepted Answer

When avoidance becomes a group's primary way of managing conflict, it often leaves important matters unresolved. The result can be dissatisfying relationships within the group.

Question 13

The conflict management strategy in which both parties give up something in order to gain something is called

Accepted Answer

The compromising style reflects a moderate concern for everyone's needs and desires. In this strategy, both parties in the conflict give something up in order to gain something.

Question 14

A common downside to compromising as a conflict management strategy is that

Accepted Answer

The compromising style reflects a moderate concern for everyone's needs and desires. In this strategy, both parties in the conflict give something up in order to gain something. No one gets exactly what he or she wants, but everyone leaves the conflict having gained something valuable.

Question 15

The conflict management strategy that is most likely to result in a win-win scenario is

Accepted Answer

The collaborating style represents a high concern for the needs of both sides in a conflict. The goal is to arrive at a win-win situation that maximizes both parties' gains.

Question 16

Sanya is part of a team that is working on a proposal for a major downtown development project. She is concerned that the team has underestimated the cost of building materials, but because the deadline is coming up soon, she signs off on the proposed budget to avoid derailing the proposal. Sanya is demonstrating signs of

Accepted Answer

Groupthink occurs when team members seek unanimous agreement despite their individual doubts.

Question 17

Halim assumes that he has a fool-proof plan and refuses to listen to critiques from other team members. He most likely suffers from

Accepted Answer

The illusion of invulnerability occurs when team members are overly confident in their position, ignoring obvious problems.

Question 18

Keiren is a team leader at a financial services company. At a recent meeting, he proposed cutting back on annual bonuses to help save the company money. Even though several team members had reservations, no one raised objections, and Keiren left thinking that everyone agreed with the decision. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Illusion of unanimity occurs when members falsely perceive that everyone agrees with the team's decision because they don't hear anyone offering counterarguments.

Question 19

Terrence's team is struggling to reach a consensus on an important issue, and tempers are starting to flare. Terrence thinks part of the problem may be that the team is getting hungry. Which of the following barriers to communication is Terrence's team experiencing?

Accepted Answer

Noise is anything in the physical environment (such as sound) or in your individual experience (such as hunger) that distracts you from listening effectively.

Question 20

Maria is a member of the safety committee for a major mining company, making her responsible for decisions that could mean the difference between life and death. Maria should focus on improving her ________ listening skills.

Accepted Answer

Critical listening skills are especially important on teams that must make important decisions.

Quiz 6: Effective Team Communication