Question 1

An incentive system which appropriately recognizes team activities is an example of which one of the following characteristics of effective teams?

Accepted Answer

Internal support refers to the extent to which team members provide each other with assistance and encouragement. An incentive system that recognizes team activities can foster internal support by rewarding team members for working together and achieving shared goals.

Question 2

Utilimotors decided teams would help improve employee morale and increase profitability so all employees were assigned to one of many different teams. The results were disappointing. This might be because team ________.

Accepted Answer

The disappointing results suggest that the issue is related to employee commitment rather than faulty measurement, unclear goals, or lacking skills.

Question 3

A team that uses technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal is called a virtual team.

Accepted Answer

A virtual team is defined as a team of people who work together from different geographic locations and rely on communication technology such as email, video conferencing, and instant messaging to collaborate and achieve their goals.

Question 4

One important distinction between a work group and a work team is the degree of interdependence among the members.

Accepted Answer

A work group may have little interdependence among its members, whereas a work team must rely on each member's skills and contributions, making them highly interdependent.

Question 5

Research on conformity suggests that ________.

Accepted Answer

Conformity is influenced by cultural factors, with some cultures emphasizing conformity more than others. It is not inherently a problem in global teams, nor is it necessarily higher in individualistic cultures or larger organizations.

Question 6

A problem-solving team brings together experts in various specialties to work together on various organizational tasks.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A problem-solving team brings together experts in...

Question 7

Strato Engineering, a technology product company, formed a team to develop the next generation of the company's model CVF-D. The team is composed of employees from various functional areas. This is a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

The team is composed of employees from various functional areas, indicating that it is a cross-functional team, where individuals from different areas come together to work towards a common goal. The other options do not match the given scenario - a problem-solving team is focused on solving a specific issue, a self-managed team does not necessarily involve members from different functional areas, and a virtual team is one that works together online or remotely, which is not specified in the scenario.

Question 8

Leadership is very important to effective teams. In most cases, effective team leaders act as ________.

Accepted Answer

Effective team leaders act as facilitators, making sure that team members have the resources, guidance, and support they need to complete their tasks and work together effectively. This involves creating a supportive and collaborative team environment, encouraging open communication, and helping team members focus on their shared goals and responsibilities. While some leaders may also have supervisory or regulatory responsibilities, their primary role is to facilitate team performance and help team members work effectively together.

Question 9

An organization brings together members from various departments such as marketing, accounting, human resources, and finance to form a team. This is an example of a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

Cross-functional teams are composed of members from different departments within an organization who work together toward a common goal or project. This allows for diverse perspectives and expertise to be brought to the problem-solving process. In this example, members from marketing, accounting, human resources, and finance would be considered cross-functional.

Question 10

Work teams interact primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member do his or her job more efficiently and effectively.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Work teams interact primarily to share information...

Question 11

Which one of the following is a benefit of global teams?

Accepted Answer

Global teams usually have members from different parts of the world, which means they bring different perspectives, experiences, and ideas to the table. This diversity can lead to more creative and innovative solutions to problems. While there are benefits to global teams, communication problems, lack of trust, and cultural differences may pose challenges that need to be managed. Stress and tension can also occur in global teams, just like any other team.

Question 12

Team 3 has been working together for several years, implementing modifications to the company's current product. None of the members of this team are at the same location. They utilize a variety of graphic-electronic technologies to view the product onscreen in three-dimension at each location simultaneously. Which one of the following is the best way of describing Team 3?

Accepted Answer

The given scenario describes a team that is geographically distributed and uses electronic technologies to collaborate, which makes it a virtual team. Option A might have been applicable if the team focused solely on problem-solving. Option B may be relevant if the team had complete autonomy in making decisions. Option D might apply if the team had individuals from different departments working effectively to implement modifications to the product.

Question 13

Which one of the following countries is most likely to assign status based on accomplishments rather than on titles and family history?

Accepted Answer

Australia is a country that values individual achievements over titles and family history. It has a culture of egalitarianism, which encourages people to be judged on their own merits and not on their background or social standing. This is reflected in its system of government, where politicians are elected based on their ideas and credentials, rather than their family connections or wealth.

Question 14

List and describe the four most common types of teams likely to be found in today's organizations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of List and describe the four most common...

Question 15

A self-managed team is a formal group of employees who operate without a manager and are responsible for a complete work process or segment.

Accepted Answer

A self-managed team operates without a manager and is responsible for a complete work process or segment.

Question 16

Which one of the following is a drawback of global teams?

Accepted Answer

Global teams are characterized by greater potential for stereotyping due to the diverse backgrounds and cultures of team members. This can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts if not managed properly.

Question 17

Research suggests that individuals outperform teams when the tasks being done require multiple skills, judgment, and experience.

Accepted Answer

Research actually suggests the opposite - individuals tend to perform better in tasks that require a single skill, while teams tend to excel in tasks that require multiple skills, judgment, and experience. This is because teamwork allows for the division of labor and the pooling of diverse knowledge and perspectives.

Question 18

It was amazing the team accomplished anything at all. It seemed they were always bickering and cross with each other, but their final output stunned management. Which one of the following might have contributed to their success?

Accepted Answer

Clear goals could have helped the team focus on a common objective and reduce the likelihood of disagreements caused by differences in personal opinions.

Question 19

Five employees on the production line working together determine which person is performing which tasks, who becomes a member of the team, and what resources are needed to accomplish the work. These employees do not have a specific leader. These employees comprise a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

The fact that these employees do not have a specific leader and determine amongst themselves who will perform which tasks and how they will accomplish the work indicates that they are a self-managed team. They are not a problem solving team since they are not specifically focused on addressing a particular issue or problem. They are also not a virtual team, which typically involves individuals working together from remote locations using technology to communicate and collaborate. Additionally, since the employees on this team are all working together on the same production line, they are not a functional team, which typically involves individuals with different functional specialties working together to accomplish a common goal or objective.

Question 20

Jan's department seems to be a bottleneck in the assembly process. She and her coworkers have been meeting regularly to generate ideas that might eliminate the bottleneck. Jan and her coworkers are part of a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

Jan and her coworkers are specifically focused on problem-solving, as they are trying to find solutions to eliminate the bottleneck in the assembly process. While they may be part of a self-managed team or a task team, these terms do not accurately describe their current focus on problem-solving. A cross-functional team would involve members from different areas of the company, not just one department.

Quiz 12: Organizing Around Teams