Deck 10: Understanding Groups and Managing Work Teams

Question 1

Of the following, which is the main advantage of teams within an organization?

A)increased organizational performance
B)increased organizational coherence
C)increased groupthink
D)decreased legal costs associated with diversity

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A group that has gone through the norming stage of the group development process ________.

A)never returns to the storming stage
B)always returns to the storming stage
C)never returns to the forming stage
D)may return to the forming or storming stage

Answer 2

D

Question 3

This stage involves the most conflict during the entire group development process.

A)forming
B)storming
C)norming
D)performing

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The group was in the ________ stage when it was competing to see who would lead the group.

A)performing
B)storming
C)forming
D)adjourning

Question 5

Many managers in today's business world have restructured work ________.

A)around individuals rather than teams
B)around teams rather than individuals
C)around both individuals and teams
D)around groups rather than teams

Question 6

When the management group was determining standards and establishing how it would make decisions, it was in the ________ stage of group development.

A)norming
B)storming
C)forming
D)adjourning

Question 7

This kind of work group brings individuals together from different work disciplines with different knowledge and skills.

A)formal group
B)cross-functional team
C)command group
D)self-managed team

Question 8

In the third and fourth days of the retreat, the managers were in the ________ stage of group development.

A)performing
B)storming
C)forming
D)adjourning

Question 9

During a recent meeting, a shouting match arose between a design manager and a marketing representative about a marketing plan for a new product.This team seems to be at the ________ stage of group development.

A)conflict
B)forming
C)norming
D)storming

Question 10

A group consists of individuals who share specific goals.

Question 11

This kind of work group is brought together to accomplish a specific job or single activity, such as the development of a new product.

A)command group
B)formal group
C)informal group
D)task group

Question 12

In which group development process is the group's energy directed to working on the group's task?

A)storming
B)forming
C)norming
D)performing

Question 13

Permanent work groups are not likely to go through this stage.

A)storming
B)adjourning
C)forming
D)norming

Question 14

Formal groups tend to form around friendships and common interests.

Question 15

Norming is a stage of group development that occurs when ________.

A)the group struggles for leadership
B)the group defines its purpose
C)the group develops cohesiveness
D)the group defines its goals

Question 16

During the storming stage of group development, high levels of conflict ________.

A)are necessary for group cohesiveness
B)increase group cohesiveness
C)can contribute to group effectiveness
D)are never a factor in group effectiveness

Question 17

Formal groups ________.

A)meet at a regular time and place
B)are defined by an organization's structure
C)include people who share a common interest
D)include people who eat lunch together each day

Question 18

The official forming stage of the group development process wasn't complete until group members ________.

A)experienced conflict
B)introduced one another
C)felt themselves a part of the group
D)got acquainted with one another

Question 19

When the management team left Silver Falls to return to their own teams and departments, they had just completed the ________ stage of group development.

A)performing
B)storming
C)forming
D)adjourning

Question 20

The ________ stage of the group development process is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group.

A)forming
B)storming
C)norming
D)performing

Question 21

The group is likely to work on its primary task during the adjourning stage of group development.

Question 22

Group norms typically are ________.

A)grading systems
B)not very powerful
C)accepted standards
D)always set by leadership

Question 23

Groups tend to go through five stages as they develop.

Question 24

In the norming stage of group development, the group becomes cohesive.

Question 25

In a short essay, discuss the last two stages of group development.

Question 26

In a short essay, discuss the first stage of group development.

Question 27

In a short essay, discuss the third stage of group development.

Question 28

Managers should especially try to avoid conflict during the storming stage of group development.

Question 29

Asch could feel fairly confident that his results were legitimate because ________ pressured by the group.

A)35 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were not
B)only 1 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were not
C)only 1 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were
D)90 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were

Question 30

The norming stage of group development ends when members consider themselves a part of the group.

Question 31

Asch's subjects were seen to give incorrect answers that they knew were incorrect in ________ of his studies.

A)about half
B)more than half
C)about 35 percent
D)about 90 percent

Question 32

Most workers learn what is expected as far as performance on the job from group ________.

A)roles
B)size
C)cohesiveness
D)norms

Question 33

In a short essay, discuss the second stage of group development.

Question 34

To be considered a group, a gathering must include at least five people.

Question 35

Asch was surprised most by finding that in some conditions, group members would provide information that they knew to be ________.

A)slightly exaggerated
B)vague
C)wrong
D)not fully substantiated

Question 36

What term describes the behavior patterns of someone who occupies a given position in a group?

A)Status
B)A role
C)A norm
D)Leadership

Question 37

Solomon Asch carried out pioneering studies in understanding ________.

A)group status
B)group roles
C)group size
D)group conformity

Question 38

Asch's results are attributed to the tendency of people in groups to ________.

A)try to distinguish themselves
B)go along with the pack
C)stand up for what they know is right
D)swim against the current

Question 39

Al is given two different "top priorities" from two different managers.Al is experiencing ________.

A)role conflict
B)role reversal
C)efficiency conflict
D)personal conflict

Question 40

Which of the following would be an example of a group norm?

A)Company policies on absenteeism
B)Acceptable ways of dressing
C)Hiring policies prohibiting discrimination
D)Rules against sexual harassment

Question 41

Members of an organization typically ________ the status of other organizational members.

A)agree about
B)disagree about
C)cannot recognize
D)refuse to recognize

Question 42

The only effective way to guard against social loafing is for managers to make special efforts to do this.

A)be fair to all group members
B)treat all group members equally
C)assess individual contributions of group members
D)assess the group as a whole exclusively

Question 43

Low cohesiveness combined with a strong alignment between group goals and organizational goals typically results in this.

A)a small productivity increase
B)a productivity decrease
C)a moderate productivity increase
D)no productivity change

Question 44

A low-ranking employee having the best parking space in the company parking lot is an example of ________.

A)status congruence
B)status incongruence
C)a status category
D)a status level

Question 45

Status incongruence can be upsetting to employees because it sends a signal that organizational accomplishments ________.

A)are rewarded fairly and justly
B)are always rewarded
C)are never rewarded
D)are not always rewarded fairly and justly

Question 46

High cohesiveness combined with a strong alignment between group goals and organizational goals typically results in this.

A)strong productivity increase
B)strong productivity decrease
C)small productivity decrease
D)no productivity change

Question 47

As a group expands, individual productivity tends to decline.

Question 48

In a short essay, discuss how social loafing can affect a team and how it can be combated.

Question 49

The studies by Solomon Asch show that group norms are a powerful force.

Question 50

In a short essay, discuss how the work of Solomon Asch might affect managerial behavior.

Question 51

Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to ________.

A)gaining diverse input
B)finding facts
C)problem solving
D)completing task faster

Question 52

Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to ________.

A)problem solving
B)getting diverse input into a problem
C)speed of performing tasks
D)finding facts

Question 53

As the size of a group increases, the output of ________.

A)each group member tends to increase
B)each group member tends to decrease
C)the group decreases
D)the group stays the same

Question 54

Group norms have little to do with how hard a group member works.

Question 55

Group norms affect dynamics such as effort and performance, but not superficial things like what people wear at work.

Question 56

The primary reason for why social loafing occurs is that output contributions from ________ easily be measured.

A)the entire group can
B)the entire group cannot
C)individuals can
D)individuals cannot

Question 57

High cohesiveness combined with a very weak alignment between group goals and organizational goals typically results in this.

A)a small productivity increase
B)a productivity decrease
C)a large productivity increase
D)no productivity change

Question 58

Large groups appear to perform better when the goal of the group is to ________.

A)find facts
B)create consensus on a new product
C)interpret facts
D)solve problems quickly

Question 59

Group cohesiveness is largely a measure of how ________.

A)clear the group's goals are
B)much individuals share the group's goals
C)attainable the group's goals are
D)much the group's goals match organizational goals

Question 60

High cohesiveness always results in a productivity increase.

Question 61

The use of work teams creates the potential for an organization to generate ________.

A)greater outputs with greater inputs
B)fewer outputs with fewer inputs
C)greater outputs with fewer inputs
D)fewer outputs with greater inputs

Question 62

Teams composed of individuals from the same department or functional area and are involved in efforts to improve work activities are called ________.

A)cross-functional teams
B)self-managed work teams
C)problem-solving teams
D)virtual teams

Question 63

Teams are increasingly popular among successful organizations because they have been found to ________.

A)match the performance of individuals in every kind of task
B)outperform individuals in many tasks
C)match the performance of individuals in many tasks
D)outperform individuals in every kind of task

Question 64

Which of the following would a self-managed work team be LEAST likely to do?

A)select all projects it works on
B)make decisions
C)implement decisions it makes
D)assign tasks

Question 65

Teams composed of individuals with skills that are highly complementary to one another are called ________.

A)cross-functional teams
B)self-managed work teams
C)problem-solving teams
D)virtual teams

Question 66

Teams composed of individuals who function without a supervisor are called ________.

A)cross-functional teams
B)self-managed work teams
C)problem-solving teams
D)virtual teams

Question 67

A self-managed work team would be likely to have the authority to ________.

A)hire and fire top organizational managers
B)determine organization-wide pay scales for team employees
C)disband a competing work team
D)make schedules and plans

Question 68

Which statement is true of Fortune 500 companies?

A)Half have 100 percent of their employees on teams.
B)100 percent have half of their employees on teams.
C)80 percent have half of their employees on teams.
D)Half have 80 percent of their employees on teams.

Question 69

Which statement is true?

A)The main goal of work teams is to share information.
B)The main goal of work groups is collective performance.
C)The main goal of work teams is collective performance.
D)The main goal of work groups is synergy.

Question 70

Deborah's work team has its own separate office, does its own planning and scheduling, and is even responsible for evaluating each other's performance.Deborah is part of a ________ team.

A)self-managed
B)virtual
C)problem-solving
D)work group

Question 71

Dan in New York is part of a team that is creating new software for the One Laptop Per Child program.The graphic designer for Dan's team is in Uruguay.The programmers for the team are in different parts of California.The team meets by videoconference once a week.Dan's team is likely to be a ________.

A)work group
B)functional team
C)cross-functional team
D)virtual team

Question 72

The team that meets each week in room 201 has a goal of creating a new cell phone model.The team consists of an engineer, a designer, a computer software specialist, and a marketing specialist.The team has full authority to make and implement its own decisions.This is likely to be a ________.

A)cross-functional team
B)problem-solving team
C)virtual team
D)work group

Question 73

The characteristics that make a team effective include ________.

A)context, composition, work design, and processes
B)context, resources, leadership, and trust
C)composition, diversity, personality, and size
D)work design, autonomy, skill variety, and task significance

Question 74

Problem-solving teams usually ________.

A)have full authority to implement their decisions
B)lack the authority to implement their decisions
C)avoid making decisions
D)manage themselves and have no supervisor

Question 75

The main difference between work groups and work teams is that ________.

A)work teams have a common goal
B)work groups have a common goal
C)work teams share information
D)work groups share information

Question 76

Which statement is true of the skills that members of work groups and work teams must have?

A)Work group members need complementary skills.
B)Work team members need random skills.
C)Work team members need complementary skills.
D)Work group members need random skills.

Question 77

Which of the following is NOT generally thought to be an advantage of teams over traditional work arrangements?

A)Teams are flexible and responsive.
B)Teams are easy to assemble.
C)Teams are easy to disband.
D)Teams are highly mechanistic.

Question 78

Teams composed of individuals who have rarely actually met one another in person are called ________.

A)cross-functional teams
B)self-managed work teams
C)problem-solving teams
D)virtual teams

Question 79

Which statement is true of accountability?

A)Work team members are individually accountable only.
B)Work team members are both individually and mutually accountable to one another.
C)Work group members are mutually accountable to one another.
D)Work group members are both individually and mutually accountable to one another.

Question 80

Which type of team is rarely given the authority to unilaterally implement any of its suggested actions?

A)cross-functional
B)problem-solving
C)self-managed
D)virtual