Exam 7: Understanding Work Teams

You are the manager of a software design firm that develops software projects using teams of specialists. One of your most successful teams has been together for nearly 5 years. In the past, this team has performed effectively, and you have been very satisfied with the team's output. Recently, however, you have noticed a marked decrease in the team's performance. You investigate to determine the problem. -During an interview with one team member, you learn that several members of the team have had conflicts regarding the content of a task to which the team was recently assigned. Are these conflicts likely to be reducing the group's productivity?

The team effectiveness model identifies four categories of key components making up effective teams. What are these four categories? Give examples of each category.

Process variables include all of the following except .

Cross-discipline teams usually function well only in small companies.

Work teams produce final results that exceed the sum of individual team member inputs.

Which of the following statements best defines a work group?

Individuals on supervisory work teams report higher levels of job satisfaction.

To perform effectively, a team requires three different types of skills: technical expertise, problem-solving and decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.

What is a virtual team?

You work for an international company that has offices around the world. You have been asked to pull together a global virtual team to handle a specific project. The project is expected to take 3 to 5 years to complete. You are free to include individuals from any of the company's offices, which are located in the United States, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Australia, and Japan. -Provided that all of the team members are equally qualified, which of the following teams is likely to be the least challenging to manage?

You are the vice-president of a division of a large, multi-national company that makes electronic equipment for consumers and the military. You have several managers that have created some teams. Also, there are several projects underway and you need to decide what types of teams to use for each situation. -Jamal, your director of manufacturing, has decided to create a team of eleven employees from quality control. Jamal gives the team members the responsibility of scheduling their own work and evaluating each other's performance. This is an example of a _______team.

You are the vice-president of a division of a large, multi-national company that makes electronic equipment for consumers and the military. You have several managers that have created some teams. Also, there are several projects underway and you need to decide what types of teams to use for each situation. -Your company has recently landed a contract to design and manufacture a new state-of-the-art electronic device for the military. This will be a very complex project, requiring many different types of skills. Which of the following types of teams is most suited for the project?

The most effective teams have between ten and fifteen members.

Which of the following statements best serves to weaken the argument that trust contributes to team effectiveness?

Why have teams become so popular?

What are some special challenges that virtual teams face? For virtual teams to be effective, what should management ensure?

You are the plant manager of a manufacturing facility. Your plant has been experiencing a number of problems and you have been directed to solve these issues. One of the problems concerns the low quality of the manufactured product. Many products have failed to pass quality inspection, and your superiors feel that the failure rate is unacceptably high. Another problem concerns the college recruitment process. The current recruitment process has repeatedly brought unqualified candidates to the plant. -Your management team suggests that the college recruitment process could be improved by creating a cross-functional team to conduct the on-campus interviews. Based on your understanding of team functioning, you reply that this solution is most likely_______ .

On her work team, Mariam develops detailed tasks lists and work flow charts to help her team members understand the steps involved in each project. She also maintains the project calendar and receives periodic updates from each team member to ensure that projects are progressing on schedule. Which role does Mariam most likely fill on her team?

Teams that are completely void of conflict are likely to become apathetic and stagnant.

Which of the following strategies would managers find least helpful for turning individuals into team players?