Deck 13: Improving Your Collaboration Skills

Question 1

Which of the following is the LEAST important collaborative driver for one-time,ad hoc workgroups?

A) content management
B) communication
C) workflow control
D) iterations

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is true about collaborative teams?

A) Team members must come to respect and trust each other.
B) Enjoyment is essential to successful teamwork.
C) Members in a team must agree with one another's views.
D) A collaborative team will not face conflicts.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A successful collaborative team will not have conflicts.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which of the following approaches to teamwork will provide the best results?

A) Sarah disagrees with the project plan but does not voice her opinion, because she doesn't want to disrupt the functioning of the team.
B) Andrew believes that conflict is healthy for teamwork and doesn't hesitate to criticize the shortcomings of his coworkers.
C) Caleb and Adam hold opposing political views, but do not discuss their opinions while working, so that other team members aren't distracted.
D) Daniel is the team leader and discourages disagreements among team members so that the project can proceed faster.

Question 5

When multiple users contribute to and change documents in a common database,one user's work might interfere with another's.Also,it is important to know who made what changes,when,and why.Which of the following is the best solution for these problems?

A) advanced communication systems
B) content management systems
C) workflow control systems
D) feedback systems

Question 6

Which of the following is the MOST essential skill for a good collaborator?

A) the ability to voice an unpopular viewpoint
B) the ability to be well organized
C) effective presentation skills
D) seasoned business experience

Question 7

Collaboration takes place when two or more people ________.

A) cooperate with each other to integrate individual efforts
B) communicate their views about a subject
C) work together to achieve a common goal
D) coordinate to accomplish their individual tasks on time

Question 8

Which of the following statements about collaboration is true?

A) Iterations should be avoided for the smooth functioning of the collaborative process.
B) Group members should not review each others' work negatively.
C) Multiple iterations and feedback improve collaboration.
D) Collaboration is more effective if it takes place at the final stage of a project.

Question 9

Which of the following is true for team behavior?

A) The formative environment is an important factor determining behavior in a team.
B) Team leaders guide team actions, but cannot influence the behavior of the team.
C) Innate social ability is the only determinant of team behavior.
D) Team leaders should discourage conflict in order to foster collaboration.

Question 10

According to Katzenbach and Smith,a team should have ________.

A) a large number of people who are mutually accountable
B) people with complementary skills
C) an equal number of managers and workers
D) people with individual excellence in a common field

Question 11

Which of the following is true about conflicts in a collaborative environment?

A) Collaborative work is possible only in the absence of conflicts.
B) A team formed of rational people will not have conflicts.
C) Personal criticism of a team member is a method of productive conflict.
D) Unwillingness to engage in conflicts will lead to failure.

Question 12

As an effective factor of collaboration,________ systems track and report changes made in data.

A) feedback
B) communication
C) workflow control
D) content management

Question 13

The critical collaboration drivers are ________.

A) conflicts, feedback, and content management
B) communication, iterations, and conflicts
C) communication, content management, and workflow control
D) communication, conflict, and feedback

Question 14

Which of the following is true about improving one's collaboration skills?

A) Collaboration skills are innate and cannot be improved upon practice.
B) The first step to improve collaboration skills is unlearning previous collaboration practices.
C) New behaviors should be tried, even if they cause some awkwardness.
D) Personal assessment is preferred to feedback from team members as they might be biased.

Question 15

Which of the following sentences about workflow control is true?

A) A workflow specifies the particular ordering of tasks.
B) A workflow includes processes for making changes, but not for dealing with exceptions.
C) Workflow control is the most important and most effective driver for ad hoc groups.
D) Workflow systems can track and report changes made in any type of data.

Question 16

The process or procedure by which content is created,edited,used,and disposed of is referred to as ________.

A) content analysis
B) content management
C) workflow
D) work control

Question 17

In a collaborative team,effort proceeds in a series of steps in which one person produces something,others comment on what was produced,a revised version is produced,and so forth.These steps are known as ________.

A) iterations
B) sequencing
C) redundancies
D) repetition

Question 18

Which of the following attributes is the best indicator of a good collaborator?

A) excellent presentation skills
B) many years of industry experience
C) ability to be well organized and neat
D) ability to voice unpopular views

Question 19

Which of the following is true about communication as a critical collaboration driver?

A) The quality of a product is bound to deteriorate when group members criticize each others' work.
B) The product of team effort can improve only when group members can criticize each others' work.
C) Communication systems track and report changes made in data.
D) Communication is not an effective driver for ad hoc workgroups.

Question 20

Which of the following is a necessary element for good collaboration?

A) communication
B) conflict
C) consensus
D) compatibility

Question 21

A team leader who expects and welcomes conflict can reduce collaboration within a team.

Question 22

For one-time,ad hoc workgroups,it is seldom worthwhile to create and formalize workflows.

Question 23

The three collaboration drivers have equal importance for all types of collaborations.

Question 24

What are the two key elements of communication and how do they improve collaboration?

Question 25

Collaboration skills are intrinsic to an individual and cannot be improved with practice.

Question 26

When teams improve their ability to work together,team members often come to like each other more.Such liking is essential to good teamwork.

Question 27

Conflict can be a productive and positive factor for a team's performance.

Question 28

The team members' formative environments influence their ability to collaborate.

Question 29

What is the importance of having a good content management system?

Question 30

Collaboration occurs when two or more people communicate with each other.

Question 31

All group members should have the ability to give and receive critical feedback.

Question 32

In a collaborative team,group members review each others' work product and revise that product as a result.

Question 33

A team consisting of people with different personal perspectives can function effectively.

Question 34

A workflow is a schedule that provides time limits for each task without specifying an order of performing them.

Question 35

Personal attacks are a part of feedback in a successful team and should be encouraged.

Question 36

What is collaboration? What are the critical drivers of collaboration?

Question 37

Collaboration is a process that takes place at the end of a project.

Question 38

Collaboration always involves feedback and iteration.

Question 39

Define a team.What are the characteristics of an effective team?

Question 40

Describe the role of workflow control in achieving collaboration.