Exam 10: D: Leadership and Decision Making in Groups

Even though making decisions by consensus takes more time than deciding by majority does, consensus should be used whenever possible.

Groups with more than one leader (co-chairs, for example) are less effective than groups with a single leader.

In a low power distance culture, people tend to defer decision making to those with higher status or authority.

Excluding members of a group from the group's meetings is a form of bullying.

Virtual meetings are less effective for brainstorming purposes than face-to-face meetings are.

Productive conflict can benefit a group because those who have engaged in the conflict feel a sense of ownership in the decisions that are arrived at through the conflict.

A leader can gain influence over a group using more than one source of power.

Research indicates that men and women lead in similar ways.

Group leaders should avoid using referent power because it is usually considered coercive.

Coach Jackson's team is young and inexperienced, so he leads them by calling all of the plays and telling each player what he is expected to do and when. We would say that his leadership style is participative.

Many groups find it difficult to accomplish their goals because they do not spend enough time identifying the problem they want to resolve.

Leaders should avoid distributing an agenda until after a meeting has begun.

A leader should determine, before calling a meeting, what he or she hopes to accomplish, and whether the meeting is necessary to accomplish the goal.

Achievement-oriented leadership works best when group members see themselves as competent and are motivated to excel.

Leaders who are perceived as knowledgeable, experienced, and respectable can be effective even if their followers do not like them.

Agendas are crucial to the success of large meetings but are more constraining than they are helpful in small meetings.

Legitimate power comes from the information or knowledge that a leader possesses.

After selecting and implementing a solution, a group should identify criteria for a good solution in order to assess the results.

The use of shared leadership can help group members feel more satisfied with the group process.

Group leaders should avoid setting time limits on any components of the discussion because it leads to poor decision making.