Question 1

A small group of marketers from different departments of an organization get together every Friday and go to lunch where they discuss various topics. This is an example of:
A) a control group.
B) a virtual team.
C) an informal group.
D) a command group.
E) a self-managed work team.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an informal group because it is not an established group within the formal structure of the organization and is voluntarily formed by individuals from different departments who come together for a common purpose.

Question 2

To further promote innovation among team members, the manager should avoid:
A) offering guidance to the group.
B) coaching the group in developing certain skills.
C) closely directing or supervising the group.
D) providing the resources the group needs.
E) assisting the group in its requirements.

Accepted Answer

Closely directing or supervising the group can stifle innovation, as it may discourage team members from taking risks and trying new approaches. A certain level of guidance and resources should still be provided in order to promote innovation, but avoiding micromanagement is key. Coaching and assisting the group can also be helpful in developing skills and addressing any challenges that may arise.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true of task forces?
A) Task forces that are relatively permanent are often referred to as ad hoc committees.
B) Task forces are composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and socialize with one another.
C) Task forces comprise of a committee of managers or nonmanagerial employees from various departments or divisions who meet to solve a specific, mutual problem.
D) Task forces refer to a group that managers or nonmanagerial employees form to help achieve their own goals or meet their own needs.
E) A group of interns who work in a hospital and have lunch together twice a week constitute a task force.

Accepted Answer

Task forces are typically temporary teams composed of managers or non-managerial employees from different departments or divisions who come together to address a specific problem or issue. They are created to solve a mutual problem and disband once their goal is achieved. Option A is incorrect because ad hoc committees are temporary committees formed for a specific purpose. Option B is incorrect because task forces are formed based on expertise rather than social relationships. Option D is incorrect because it describes self-directed work teams, where employees form groups to achieve their own goals within specific guidelines. Option E is incorrect because a group of interns who have lunch together twice a week does not meet the criteria for a task force.

Question 4

Which of the following should managers ensure in order to take advantage of the potential for synergy?
A) Create groups where the members have identical personalities
B) Be strongly directive with the group
C) Appoint members with complementary skills and knowledge
D) Avoid empowerment
E) Reward individual performances instead of the group as a whole

Accepted Answer

Managers should appoint members with complementary skills and knowledge to take advantage of the potential for synergy. This allows for individuals in the group to bring unique perspectives and abilities to the table, complementing and enhancing one another's contributions towards a common goal. Creating groups with identical personalities or rewarding individual performances instead of group performance can create competition and undermine the collective effort towards synergy. Being strongly directive with the group can also limit creativity and hinder free-flowing communication among group members. Empowerment is important as it allows members to take ownership of their work and contribute to the group's overall success.

Question 5

Team members within a group are generally more fixated on coming to a common, agreeable solution over accurately assessing the problems that the group is facing. This type of faulty group decision making is called _____.
A) cognitive dissonance
B) halo effect
C) synergy
D) groupthink
E) social loafing

Accepted Answer

Groupthink is the type of faulty group decision making in which the group members prioritize reaching a consensus over critically evaluating the situation and potential solutions. This often leads to a flawed decision-making process as important issues and alternative viewpoints may be overlooked or disregarded to maintain unanimity.

Question 6

The management of a popular sporting equipment manufacturer, as a part of their advertising strategy for their latest product, has put together a team to market their product across the country. The team put together for this purpose is called a(n):
A) formal group.
B) top management group.
C) control group.
D) friendship group.
E) interest group.

Accepted Answer

A formal group is an organized group created to complete a specific task or achieve a specific goal within an organization. In this case, the team put together by the sporting equipment manufacturer is created with a specific goal of marketing their latest product across the country, making it a formal group.

Question 7

The CEO of ABC Company forms a top-management team to develop the strategic marketing plan for the organization and selects members who possess different expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience. The team, in this case, has been created with emphasis mainly on _____.
A) diversity
B) individualism
C) groupthink
D) social loafing
E) autocracy

Accepted Answer

The CEO has formed a diverse team with members who possess different expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience. This indicates that emphasis has been placed on diversity.

Question 8

Performance gains that result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions is called _____.
A) synergy
B) conformance
C) deviance
D) groupthink
E) social loafing

Accepted Answer

Synergy refers to the performance gains that result from coordination and cooperation among individuals and departments. It occurs when the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts, meaning that individuals working together can achieve more than they could working separately. Conformance refers to the act of complying with rules or standards, deviance refers to behavior that diverges from established norms, groupthink refers to a phenomenon where members of a group prioritize group harmony over critical thinking, and social loafing refers to the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone. None of these options accurately describe the concept of performance gains resulting from coordination and cooperation.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true of 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) Subordinates who report to the same supervisor compose a command group.

Accepted Answer

A command group is composed of subordinates who report to the same supervisor. This group is formed based on the organization's hierarchy and is considered a formal group. Option A is incorrect because a command group is a formal group. Option B is incorrect because a group that socializes with one another is an example of a friendship group or an interest group. Option C is incorrect because a group of interns who have lunch together is an example of a common interest group. Option D is incorrect because it describes a top executive team or a management team, which is not necessarily a command group.

Question 10

A team whose members work face-to-face and have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products is called a(n) _____.
A) top management team
B) informal team
C) research and development team
D) interest group
E) virtual team

Accepted Answer

A research and development team typically consists of members who work face-to-face and possess the necessary knowledge and skills to create innovative products. Top management teams may not necessarily have this expertise, while informal teams and interest groups may not be specifically focused on product development. Virtual teams may not have the advantage of face-to-face collaboration.

Question 11

JME Manufacturing put together a group of employees from marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and quality control to come up with a new product idea. This is an example of a(n) _____ group.
A) informal
B) friendship
C) advocacy
D) cross-functional
E) top management

Accepted Answer

The group is cross-functional because it consists of employees from different departments with diverse skills and knowledge.

Question 12

A group of machinists in a manufacturing plant who report to the same shop foreman is an example of:
A) an informal group.
B) a virtual group.
C) a cross-functional group.
D) self-managed work group.
E) a command group.

Accepted Answer

A group of machinists who report to the same shop foreman is an example of a command group since they are all part of the same chain of command and report to the same supervisor. A self-managed work group would involve the machinists being responsible for managing their own work without a central supervisor. A cross-functional group involves members from different areas of expertise working together to achieve a common goal. An informal group is a group that is not formally designated by the organization. A virtual group is a group of individuals who collaborate using technology instead of meeting face-to-face.

Question 13

Managers at Clementiq Inc. established a group comprising of engineers from Germany, Japan, and the United States for the design and manufacture of a new product for the organization. This is known as a(n) _____ group.
A) cross-cultural
B) informal
C) top management
D) advocacy
E) interest

Accepted Answer

The group is composed of individuals from different cultural backgrounds, which makes it a cross-cultural group.

Question 14

A group of telephone operators in a telecommunications company who report to the same supervisor are part of a(n) _____.
A) research and development team
B) informal group
C) command group
D) interest group
E) control group

Accepted Answer

The group of telephone operators who report to the same supervisor are part of a command group, which refers to a formal group that is established by an organization to achieve specific goals and that consists of individuals who report to the same manager.

Question 15

A group of managers who are responsible for designing the long-range strategic plan for an organization are collectively known as:
A) an informal team.
B) a cross-cultural group.
C) a top management team.
D) a friendship group.
E) an interest group.

Accepted Answer

A top management team is responsible for designing the long-range strategic plan for an organization. The other options (informal team, cross-cultural group, friendship group, and interest group) do not describe a group of managers specifically tasked with strategic planning.

Question 16

Task forces that are relatively permanent are referred to as:
A) interest groups.
B) informal groups.
C) standing committees.
D) virtual groups.
E) working committees.

Accepted Answer

Standing committees are task forces that are relatively permanent and focus on a specific area of responsibility within an organization or institution. Interest groups, informal groups, virtual groups, and working committees may have a specific and limited focus, but they are not necessarily permanent structures within an organization.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true with respect to groups and teams?
A) All groups are considered as teams.
B) Teams have no restrictions on the number of members in them, unlike groups.
C) The intensity with which members work together is always higher in a team than in a group.
D) All groups are informal and all teams are formal.
E) There is a specific, overriding common goal or objective for groups but not for teams.

Accepted Answer

The two characteristics that distinguish teams from groups are the intensity with which team members work together and the presence of a specific, overriding team goal or objective.A team is a group whose members work intensely with one another to achieve a specific common goal or objective.

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

The CEO's re-design of the organizational chart is creating new reporting relationships among managers, which is a characteristic of command groups. It is not related to informal, friendship, virtual, or interest groups.

Question 19

A group of workers form a group so that the members can interact with each other socially both on and off the job. This is an example of a(n) _____.
A) task force
B) cross-functional group
C) command group
D) informal group
E) virtual team

Accepted Answer

A group formed for social interaction among coworkers is an example of an informal group. Task forces are generally created for a specific task, cross-functional groups contain members from different functional areas who work together on a specific project or goal, command groups are typically hierarchical in nature and based on roles or positions, and virtual teams work together remotely utilizing technology. None of these options fit the description of a group formed for social interaction.

Question 20

Groups established by managers to attain organizational goals are called:
A) friendship groups.
B) control groups.
C) formal groups.
D) interest groups.
E) advocacy groups.

Accepted Answer

Formal groups are specifically created by managers to accomplish organizational goals. Friendship groups are formed among individuals who share common interests or hobbies. Control groups are established in a scientific experiment to compare results with the experimental group. Interest groups are formed by people who share a common interest or goal. Advocacy groups are formed to promote or defend a certain cause or issue.

Quiz 15: Effective Groups and Teams

A small group of marketers from different departments of an organization get together every Friday and go to lunch where they discuss various topics. This is an example of:

To further promote innovation among team members, the manager should avoid:

Which of the following statements is true of task forces?

Which of the following should managers ensure in order to take advantage of the potential for synergy?

Team members within a group are generally more fixated on coming to a common, agreeable solution over accurately assessing the problems that the group is facing. This type of faulty group decision making is called _____.

The management of a popular sporting equipment manufacturer, as a part of their advertising strategy for their latest product, has put together a team to market their product across the country. The team put together for this purpose is called a(n) :

The CEO of ABC Company forms a top-management team to develop the strategic marketing plan for the organization and selects members who possess different expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience. The team, in this case, has been created with emphasis mainly on _____.

Performance gains that result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions is called _____.

Which of the following statements is true of a command group?

A team whose members work face-to-face and have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products is called a(n) _____.

JME Manufacturing put together a group of employees from marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and quality control to come up with a new product idea. This is an example of a(n) _____ group.

A group of machinists in a manufacturing plant who report to the same shop foreman is an example of:

Managers at Clementiq Inc. established a group comprising of engineers from Germany, Japan, and the United States for the design and manufacture of a new product for the organization. This is known as a(n) _____ group.

A group of telephone operators in a telecommunications company who report to the same supervisor are part of a(n) _____.

A group of managers who are responsible for designing the long-range strategic plan for an organization are collectively known as:

Task forces that are relatively permanent are referred to as:

Which of the following statements is true with respect to groups and teams?

When the CEO of an organization re-designs the organizational chart to define different reporting relationships among the organization's managers, she is essentially creating _____.

A group of workers form a group so that the members can interact with each other socially both on and off the job. This is an example of a(n) _____.

Groups established by managers to attain organizational goals are called: