Question 1

In participative management
A) all top-level managers participate in profit sharing.
B) an authoritarian management model is used.
C) teams are discouraged in favor of individual achievement.
D) employees are involved in the company's decision making.

Accepted Answer

Participative management involves actively involving employees in decision-making processes, seeking their input, and taking their opinions and suggestions seriously. The goal is to create a more engaged workforce, promote teamwork, and ultimately improve organizational performance. Profit sharing and authoritarian management models are not necessarily associated with participative management, and in fact, the emphasis on teamwork in participative management suggests that individual achievement may not be emphasized to the same extent as collaboration and collective decision-making.

Question 2

Group members who are motivated mainly to fulfill personal needs play a
A) coordinating role.
B) self-oriented role.
C) task-facilitating role.
D) team-maintenance role.

Accepted Answer

Group members who are motivated mainly by fulfilling their own personal needs are playing a self-oriented role. They may be more concerned with satisfying their own desires than with achieving the group's goals or working collaboratively with others.

Question 3

The first phase that a team typically goes through is
A) conflict.
B) brainstorming.
C) reinforcement.
D) orientation.

Accepted Answer

The first phase a team typically goes through is orientation, where team members get to know each other, establish roles and responsibilities, and begin to form initial impressions of the group's purpose and goals. Conflict and brainstorming usually come later in the team's development, while reinforcement may occur throughout the life of the team as successes and milestones are achieved.

Question 4

A hidden agenda refers to
A) a meeting agenda that is not revealed to others outside the meeting group.
B) individuals harboring motives that are concealed from the rest of the group.
C) an approach to group dynamics that helps facilitate group functioning.
D) an agenda that members must look for before they can attend a meeting.

Accepted Answer

A hidden agenda refers to individuals harboring motives that are concealed from the rest of the group. These hidden motives can potentially impact group dynamics and decision-making.

Question 5

The primary difference between constructive feedback and destructive feedback is
A) constructive feedback can hurt people's feelings.
B) constructive feedback is focused on the people involved.
C) destructive feedback is focused on the process and outcomes of communication .
D) destructive feedback delivers criticism with no guidance for improvement.

Accepted Answer

Constructive feedback aims to provide guidance and suggestions for improvement, while destructive feedback criticizes without offering any constructive advice or solutions.

Question 6

When composing collaborative messages, the best strategy is to
A) begin by letting all members "do their own thing" and then seeing what they all produce.
B) avoid writing as a group.
C) make the team as large as possible so that every possible area of expertise will be covered.
D) let all members use their own preferred software.

Accepted Answer

Collaborative messages should be written as a group but avoid writing one by one. It is important to have everyone's inputs and ideas incorporated into the message, but it's also crucial to have one person who is responsible for consolidating the ideas and writing the final message. This ensures clarity and consistency of tone and message.

Question 7

A meeting agenda
A) should be circulated before the meeting, providing participants with enough time to prepare.
B) is only a guideline, and deviations are common and expected.
C) is a formality that most groups skip these days.
D) should be general rather than specific.

Accepted Answer

It is important to circulate the meeting agenda before the meeting to ensure that participants have enough time to prepare and contribute meaningfully to the discussion. This also helps to keep the meeting focused and on track.

Question 8

Only one sales representative can go to the conference in Hawaii, but both Susan and Sean want to go. After much discussion and arguing, they draw straws and Susan gets the trip. This is an example of
A) the best way to deal with a conflict.
B) a win-lose situation.
C) the five-step decision-making process.
D) all of the above.

Accepted Answer

This situation is an example of a win-lose situation because only one person gets what they want, while the other person loses out. The other options don't apply.

Question 9

When conducting a meeting
A) if some people dominate the conversation, let them do so, since they are probably the most knowledgeable attendees.
B) if some people are too quiet, leave them alone; they probably have nothing to contribute.
C) try to simply act as an observer, and let the meeting "run itself."
D) do none of the above.

Accepted Answer

Neither A nor B is a good practice in conducting meetings as they can lead to unequal participation and an unproductive outcome. Furthermore, C shows a lack of leadership and a failure to guide the meeting towards its objective. Option D requires the meeting leader to ensure that all attendees are given an equal opportunity to participate and to guide the meeting towards its objectives.

Question 10

When it comes to overcoming resistance to change in groups, it is a good idea to
A) hold off dealing with minor problems until the conflict becomes major.
B) avoid all conflict in the first place.
C) encourage participants to repress their emotions about the situation.
D) deal directly with resistance.

Accepted Answer

Dealing directly with resistance is usually the best approach. Ignoring or avoiding the conflict can lead to it becoming worse, and encouraging repression of emotions is not healthy or productive. It's important to address the concerns of those who are resistant to change and communicate the benefits of the change in a clear and empathetic way.

Question 11

One member of a task force on which you serve is particularly good at helping other members get along and work through their differences. This individual plays a
A) coordinating role.
B) task-oriented role.
C) self-oriented role.
D) team-maintenance role.

Accepted Answer

The individual is playing a team-maintenance role, as they are focused on promoting positive interactions and resolving conflicts among the members of the task force.

Question 12

Social networking technologies that are specifically designed for business are best used to
A) help dissatisfied employees air their complaints.
B) discourage socializing so individual employees can reach their full potential.
C) discourage employees from socializing at work.
D) create virtual communities.

Accepted Answer

Social networking technologies that are designed for business are best used to create virtual communities that can facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation. These technologies can help teams and departments work together more effectively, even if they are geographically dispersed. By fostering communication and interconnectedness, virtual communities can lead to increased productivity, creativity, and job satisfaction. Social networking technologies should not be used to air complaints or discourage socializing at work, as these can create a negative and hostile work environment.

Question 13

You and several coworkers serve on a task force charged with updating the company personnel policy manual. To proceed effectively, you should concentrate on
A) ensuring that all members have a clear and shared sense of purpose.
B) making other team members feel good.
C) pointing out as many typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors as possible.
D) doing all of the above.

Accepted Answer

A clear and shared sense of purpose is essential for any team to work effectively. This will ensure that all team members are on the same page and working towards the same goal, which is important for a task force charged with updating a company personnel policy manual. Making other team members feel good and pointing out typos and errors are important tasks, but they should come after establishing a clear sense of purpose.

Question 14

"Virtual offices" that give everyone on a team access to the same set of resources and information are called
A) instant messaging software.
B) shared workspaces.
C) videoconferencing systems.
D) none of the above.

Accepted Answer

Virtual offices are often created through the use of shared workspaces, which allow team members to access and collaborate on documents, files, and other resources from anywhere with an internet connection. Instant messaging software and videoconferencing systems can be part of a virtual workspace, but they are not the defining feature.

Question 15

At the last staff meeting, someone suggested that using parliamentary procedure would help make the meetings more efficient. To learn more about parliamentary procedure, which of the following should you consult?
A) Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
B) Robert's Rules of Order
C) Fundamental Meeting Management
D) SEC Standards of Ethics

Accepted Answer

Robert's Rules of Order is a widely recognized guide to parliamentary procedure and would be the best resource to consult for learning more about implementing it in staff meetings. The other options listed are not relevant to parliamentary procedure.

Question 16

Groupthink refers to
A) the basic rules that underlie a group's behavior and guide the group to make its decisions that operates primarily in large groups but can also be seen in small groups.
B) the willingness of individual group members to withhold contrary or unpopular opinions, even when those objections are legitimate, and to favor majority opinion.
C) software programs that help groups make decisions.
D) the four-step decision-making process in groups.

Accepted Answer

Groupthink refers to the willingness of individual group members to withhold contrary or unpopular opinions in favor of majority opinion, even when those objections are legitimate. It often occurs in cohesive groups where members prioritize the group's harmony and coherence over voicing dissenting opinions.

Question 17

Use of parliamentary procedure
A) is only useful for meetings with more than a dozen participants.
B) tends to slow meetings down.
C) helps meetings run more smoothly.
D) contributes to dissent among participants.

Accepted Answer

Parliamentary procedure helps meetings run more smoothly by providing a fair and efficient process for conducting business, ensuring that all participants have an opportunity to be heard and decisions are made through a structured process. While it may slow down meetings slightly in the short term, it ultimately leads to more productive and effective decision-making.

Question 18

Which of the following is not a way teams help organizations to succeed?
A) Increase diversity of views
B) Increase groupthink among members
C) Increase performance levels
D) Increase information and knowledge

Accepted Answer

Groupthink is a phenomenon in which the desire for cohesiveness and unanimity overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action. Therefore, it can lead to poor decision-making and hinder organizational success. The other options (A, C, and D) are ways in which teams can help organizations succeed.

Question 19

The key to a productive meeting is careful planning that addresses
A) its participants.
B) its location and agenda.
C) its purpose.
D) all of the above.

Accepted Answer

Careful planning should address all three aspects to ensure a productive meeting. The participants should be relevant to the purpose of the meeting, the location and agenda should be appropriate for the purpose, and the purpose should be clearly defined to guide the discussion. Ignoring any of these aspects could lead to an unproductive or ineffective meeting.

Question 20

________ are informal standards of conduct that team members share.
A) Group norms
B) Robert's Rules
C) Group maintenance roles
D) Rules of parliamentary procedure

Accepted Answer

Group norms are informal standards of conduct that team members share. They are important for establishing a cohesive team dynamic and promoting positive behaviors and attitudes within the group. Robert's Rules and parliamentary procedure are more formal procedures for conducting meetings, and group maintenance roles refer to specific roles individuals may take on within the group to help maintain positive group dynamics.

Quiz 2: Mastering Interpersonal Communication

In participative management

Group members who are motivated mainly to fulfill personal needs play a

The first phase that a team typically goes through is

A hidden agenda refers to

The primary difference between constructive feedback and destructive feedback is

When composing collaborative messages, the best strategy is to

A meeting agenda

Only one sales representative can go to the conference in Hawaii, but both Susan and Sean want to go. After much discussion and arguing, they draw straws and Susan gets the trip. This is an example of

When conducting a meeting

When it comes to overcoming resistance to change in groups, it is a good idea to

One member of a task force on which you serve is particularly good at helping other members get along and work through their differences. This individual plays a

Social networking technologies that are specifically designed for business are best used to

You and several coworkers serve on a task force charged with updating the company personnel policy manual. To proceed effectively, you should concentrate on

"Virtual offices" that give everyone on a team access to the same set of resources and information are called

At the last staff meeting, someone suggested that using parliamentary procedure would help make the meetings more efficient. To learn more about parliamentary procedure, which of the following should you consult?

Groupthink refers to

Use of parliamentary procedure

Which of the following is not a way teams help organizations to succeed?

The key to a productive meeting is careful planning that addresses

________ are informal standards of conduct that team members share.