Question 1

Discuss how managers can use selection to shape team behaviour.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss how managers can use selection to...

Question 2

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the question that follows.
The New Professor (Scenario)
Dan Powell recently received a Ph.D.and has begun teaching at a large university.Prior to his first day of class,Dan's department head met with him to discuss the department's expectations and standards regarding classroom discipline,course rigour,and grading.Later that week Dan met with other professors in a faculty meeting.During that meeting,a number of issues were discussed,and although Dan did not agree with all of them,he did not feel comfortable expressing his position because he was a new assistant professor and the others were more senior.However,in watching the reactions of other professors,he got the feeling that some of them disagreed with a few issues too,but did not want to say anything because doing so might be disruptive.
-Midway through his first semester,one of the teams in Dan's class came to him with a problem.Of the four team members,all of them were doing their jobs except Stacey.The group had agreed to have Stacey as a member since they all knew she had a high GPA and worked hard on all of her individual assignments.However,as a team member,the group agreed that they were not getting Stacey's best efforts.They felt like she was not working as hard as a group member as she would as an individual.Dan quickly diagnosed the problem as ________.

Accepted Answer

The problem described in the scenario is an example of social loafing, which occurs when an individual in a group puts forth less effort than they would if working alone. Stacey is not contributing as much as the other team members, which is causing the group to be less effective. Role conflict occurs when a person is expected to fulfill multiple roles that are incompatible, status conflict occurs when there is disagreement within a group about the distribution of power or resources, and relationship conflict occurs when there are interpersonal issues between group members. Groupthink, although mentioned in the scenario as a possibility for why some professors may not have expressed their opinions, is not applicable to the problem experienced by the team in Dan's class.

Question 3

Discuss how managers can use rewards to shape team behaviour.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss how managers can use rewards to...

Question 4

All four teams at Strato have which one of the following characteristics in common with a formal group?

Accepted Answer

A formal group is defined by having two or more members.

Question 5

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
Teams at Strato Engineering (Scenario)
Strato Engineering,a technology product company,recently organized Team 1 to develop the next generation of the company's model CVF-D.The team is composed of the product development manager,chief engineer,director of procurement,human resources director-technology,marketing research director,cost analysis director,operations director-production,and the four highest-dollar project vendors.The preliminary projection for the lifetime of the team (up to prototype production)is expected to be two years due to the level of technology involved in the product.
Team 2 has also been recently established to solve a problem with an adhesive used to attach a thin-foil material to a finished metal surface.There are three members in this team: installer,engineer,and sales representative for the adhesive manufacturer.They operate without a manager and no one in particular is the leader.It is anticipated that it will require about two days to solve the problem.
Team 3 has been working together for four years implementing modifications to the company's current model CVF-C.It is composed of members in the areas of procurement,engineering,and production,and also includes several vendors and Strato Engineering customers' procurement agents.None of the members of this team are at the same location.They use a sophisticated computer-aided design program to view the product on screen in three-dimensional form at each location simultaneously.
At the Oshawa facility,Team 4 has been formed to stamp a new part.It requires four members,and they rotate jobs every two hours.Before beginning the workday,they meet for about 10 minutes and discuss the work that needs to be completed that day.
-Team 1 is a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

Team 1 is a cross-functional team as it consists of members from different functional areas such as product development, procurement, marketing research, cost analysis, etc.

Question 6

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
The Retreat (Scenario)
The first-line managers were sent on a retreat to Niagara Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting.Few people knew each other,but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable.Their years of complaining about the old system had dumped this new responsibility right in their lap.They had four days to become brilliant,and everyone was a little on edge.The first day,little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader.Finally,Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group.By the second day,the group seemed to begin working well.They spent the morning deciding how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process.The third and fourth days saw the new managers move amazingly quickly,with ideas flowing freely.By the end of the fourth day,they had a workable system developed,and they felt satisfied.That night they all signed the new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day.They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life.
-In the third and fourth days of the retreat,the managers were in the ________ stage of group development.

Accepted Answer

In the third and fourth days, the managers were able to work effectively together, with ideas flowing freely, and they were able to develop a workable system. This demonstrates the "performing" stage of group development, where the group is able to work cohesively towards achieving their goals.

Question 7

Those in the company who viewed the conflict over the marketing strategy as bad and harmful have a(n)________ view of conflict.

Accepted Answer

The traditional view of conflict sees it as inherently negative and harmful, something to be avoided or minimized.

Question 8

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
Conflicting Opinions (Scenario)
The two vice-presidents were in a heated debate.Celine believed that the company's traditional marketing strategy was no longer effective at attracting new customers and that loyal customers would stay regardless.So,she proposed an aggressive new marketing promotion to "spice things up a bit" and target new customers.Raj strongly disagreed.He felt the company was doing fine and was concerned that an aggressive new approach might scare away loyal customers without any guarantee of gaining new customers.Regardless of who was right,their battle was causing a stir in the organization.Some felt that a conflict like this would hurt the company and make it appear weak to employees and shareholders.Others felt that a conflict over marketing strategies was bound to occur eventually,and that it might even help the company.Still others even encouraged such conflict and felt it was absolutely necessary to achieve the best outcome.
-Which type of conflict is demonstrated by the situation between Celine and Raj?

Accepted Answer

The conflict between Celine and Raj is functional because it involves differing opinions on marketing strategies that could potentially lead to better decision-making and outcomes for the company.

Question 9

What are the criteria for deciding between forming small groups and larger groups?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the criteria for deciding between...

Question 10

Those in the company who encouraged the conflict over the marketing strategy have a(n)________ view of conflict.

Accepted Answer

The fact that some members of the company encouraged the conflict over the marketing strategy implies that they saw conflict as a potential source of innovation and creativity, which is consistent with the interactionist view of conflict. The human relations, conservative, traditional, and strategic views of conflict are more focused on avoiding or minimizing conflict, whereas the interactionist view recognizes that conflict can have positive as well as negative consequences.

Question 11

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
Teams at Strato Engineering (Scenario)
Strato Engineering,a technology product company,recently organized Team 1 to develop the next generation of the company's model CVF-D.The team is composed of the product development manager,chief engineer,director of procurement,human resources director-technology,marketing research director,cost analysis director,operations director-production,and the four highest-dollar project vendors.The preliminary projection for the lifetime of the team (up to prototype production)is expected to be two years due to the level of technology involved in the product.
Team 2 has also been recently established to solve a problem with an adhesive used to attach a thin-foil material to a finished metal surface.There are three members in this team: installer,engineer,and sales representative for the adhesive manufacturer.They operate without a manager and no one in particular is the leader.It is anticipated that it will require about two days to solve the problem.
Team 3 has been working together for four years implementing modifications to the company's current model CVF-C.It is composed of members in the areas of procurement,engineering,and production,and also includes several vendors and Strato Engineering customers' procurement agents.None of the members of this team are at the same location.They use a sophisticated computer-aided design program to view the product on screen in three-dimensional form at each location simultaneously.
At the Oshawa facility,Team 4 has been formed to stamp a new part.It requires four members,and they rotate jobs every two hours.Before beginning the workday,they meet for about 10 minutes and discuss the work that needs to be completed that day.
-Team 2 is a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the Scenario below to answer...

Question 12

List and discuss the five stages of group development.

Accepted Answer

The answer of List and discuss the five stages of...

Question 13

Those in the company who viewed the conflict over the marketing strategy as natural and inevitable have a(n)________ view of conflict.

Accepted Answer

The human relations view of conflict sees it as a natural and inevitable part of group dynamics, which can be beneficial for organizational performance.

Question 14

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
The Retreat (Scenario)
The first-line managers were sent on a retreat to Niagara Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting.Few people knew each other,but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable.Their years of complaining about the old system had dumped this new responsibility right in their lap.They had four days to become brilliant,and everyone was a little on edge.The first day,little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader.Finally,Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group.By the second day,the group seemed to begin working well.They spent the morning deciding how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process.The third and fourth days saw the new managers move amazingly quickly,with ideas flowing freely.By the end of the fourth day,they had a workable system developed,and they felt satisfied.That night they all signed the new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day.They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life.
-When the management group was deciding on their decision rules,they were in the ________ stage of group development.

Accepted Answer

The norming stage of group development is when the group establishes norms and decision-making processes, which aligns with the group's activities of deciding on decision rules.

Question 15

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
Teams at Strato Engineering (Scenario)
Strato Engineering,a technology product company,recently organized Team 1 to develop the next generation of the company's model CVF-D.The team is composed of the product development manager,chief engineer,director of procurement,human resources director-technology,marketing research director,cost analysis director,operations director-production,and the four highest-dollar project vendors.The preliminary projection for the lifetime of the team (up to prototype production)is expected to be two years due to the level of technology involved in the product.
Team 2 has also been recently established to solve a problem with an adhesive used to attach a thin-foil material to a finished metal surface.There are three members in this team: installer,engineer,and sales representative for the adhesive manufacturer.They operate without a manager and no one in particular is the leader.It is anticipated that it will require about two days to solve the problem.
Team 3 has been working together for four years implementing modifications to the company's current model CVF-C.It is composed of members in the areas of procurement,engineering,and production,and also includes several vendors and Strato Engineering customers' procurement agents.None of the members of this team are at the same location.They use a sophisticated computer-aided design program to view the product on screen in three-dimensional form at each location simultaneously.
At the Oshawa facility,Team 4 has been formed to stamp a new part.It requires four members,and they rotate jobs every two hours.Before beginning the workday,they meet for about 10 minutes and discuss the work that needs to be completed that day.
-Team 3 is a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

Team 3 is a virtual team as the members are not at the same location and use computer-aided design software to work together. None of the other options fit the description given in the scenario.

Question 16

Define formal teams and describe five types of formal teams.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define formal teams and describe five types...

Question 17

After discussing the issue with both Celine and Raj,the president learned that Celine was proposing the change to retaliate against Raj over a personal argument.Given these personal motivations,what type of conflict is this?

Accepted Answer

The answer of After discussing the issue with both Celine...

Question 18

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
Teams at Strato Engineering (Scenario)
Strato Engineering,a technology product company,recently organized Team 1 to develop the next generation of the company's model CVF-D.The team is composed of the product development manager,chief engineer,director of procurement,human resources director-technology,marketing research director,cost analysis director,operations director-production,and the four highest-dollar project vendors.The preliminary projection for the lifetime of the team (up to prototype production)is expected to be two years due to the level of technology involved in the product.
Team 2 has also been recently established to solve a problem with an adhesive used to attach a thin-foil material to a finished metal surface.There are three members in this team: installer,engineer,and sales representative for the adhesive manufacturer.They operate without a manager and no one in particular is the leader.It is anticipated that it will require about two days to solve the problem.
Team 3 has been working together for four years implementing modifications to the company's current model CVF-C.It is composed of members in the areas of procurement,engineering,and production,and also includes several vendors and Strato Engineering customers' procurement agents.None of the members of this team are at the same location.They use a sophisticated computer-aided design program to view the product on screen in three-dimensional form at each location simultaneously.
At the Oshawa facility,Team 4 has been formed to stamp a new part.It requires four members,and they rotate jobs every two hours.Before beginning the workday,they meet for about 10 minutes and discuss the work that needs to be completed that day.
-Team 4 is a ________ team.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the Scenario below to answer...

Question 19

Discuss how managers can use training to shape team behaviour.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss how managers can use training to...

Question 20

Refer to the Scenario below to answer the questions that follow.
The Retreat (Scenario)
The first-line managers were sent on a retreat to Niagara Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting.Few people knew each other,but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable.Their years of complaining about the old system had dumped this new responsibility right in their lap.They had four days to become brilliant,and everyone was a little on edge.The first day,little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader.Finally,Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group.By the second day,the group seemed to begin working well.They spent the morning deciding how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process.The third and fourth days saw the new managers move amazingly quickly,with ideas flowing freely.By the end of the fourth day,they had a workable system developed,and they felt satisfied.That night they all signed the new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day.They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life.
-When the management team left Niagara Falls to return to their normal jobs,they had just completed the ________ stage of group development.

Accepted Answer

The group had completed their task and were disbanding, which corresponds to the adjourning stage of group development.

Quiz 10: Understanding Groups and Teams