Exam 9: Understanding Work Teams

A work team that meets regularly to discuss quality problems and solutions, but has little authority to implement decisions, is a problem- solving team.

Robert is a procurement specialist who belongs to a team with members representing different functional units. The team meets to share information regarding specific problems facing the whole organization. Jim is a member of a __________.

__________are a common type of team used in entrepreneurial ventures.

A work team that meets regularly to discuss quality problems and solutions, but has little authority to implement decisions, is referred to as a cross- functional team.

High- performing teams have members who possess both technical and __________skills.

At the__________ stage of group development group members often regress to the previous stages of group development.

The role of __________ on work teams is usually held by a person who is imaginative and good at initiating ideas or concepts.

Application of Team Roles Sarah has just returned from a seminar dealing with the research of Margerison and McCann where the roles of work team members was discussed. She is enthusiastic as she sets down to select members for the new team she is developing. Hopefully Sarah can avoid some problems of past teams by selecting individuals to fill the roles needed by the work team. Jim comes to mind immediately. He is one of the most imaginative people Sarah knows. He continuously comes up with new and novel ideas; however, he is very independent and likes to work at his own pace. Ruby, on the other hand, has an extreme concern for following policies and rules. She is excellent at examining details and making sure all the facts and figures will work. Putting those two together on a team, though, may pose some interpersonal problems since they are so different. Then there is Shane. He always has such strong convictions about how things should be done. However, he will protect the group from outsiders and go to battle for them. He will help provide team stability. -Which team role will Ruby play?

In the late 1980s, major automobile manufacturers turned to__________ teams in order to coordinate complex projects.

Which of the following is not one of the benefits of using teams?

Which of the following is not a way in which managers can assure that individuals are team players?

Teams are developed in organizations to increase management's responsibility over task performance.

A team whose members are at different locations, who work together and solve problems through computer- assisted exchange rather than personal, face- to- face meetings are operating as a__________ .

On a team, which member coordinates and integrates?

Effective teams are characterized by __________, that is, members believe in the integrity, character, and ability of one another.

Application of Stages of Team Development Shannon had never been a member of a team before. Her organization had always highly valued individual effort. Consequently, the switch to teams had been difficult. Furthermore, there had been no training in team development, and right now, Shannon was not certain they were ever going to get past this current stage of continuous intragroup conflict. There was a lot of conflict over who was going to lead the team. Once everyone had thought of themselves as part of the team, not just a group of individuals, Shannon had thought things would start to get better. That first stage had been very difficult, but now the second stage seemed no better. Shannon wondered if they would ever reach a stage of cohesiveness where close relationships would start to develop. Furthermore, at this point she was not sure they would ever get to the point of actually performing the task they had been set up for, which was to work across functions to develop a new piece of surgical equipment. Since the team was to be disbanded in two years, Shannon was afraid they were going to spend their whole two years becoming a team and would never actually develop the new equipment. -Which of the following best describes this group of individuals?

Application of Stages of Team Development Shannon had never been a member of a team before. Her organization had always highly valued individual effort. Consequently, the switch to teams had been difficult. Furthermore, there had been no training in team development, and right now, Shannon was not certain they were ever going to get past this current stage of continuous intragroup conflict. There was a lot of conflict over who was going to lead the team. Once everyone had thought of themselves as part of the team, not just a group of individuals, Shannon had thought things would start to get better. That first stage had been very difficult, but now the second stage seemed no better. Shannon wondered if they would ever reach a stage of cohesiveness where close relationships would start to develop. Furthermore, at this point she was not sure they would ever get to the point of actually performing the task they had been set up for, which was to work across functions to develop a new piece of surgical equipment. Since the team was to be disbanded in two years, Shannon was afraid they were going to spend their whole two years becoming a team and would never actually develop the new equipment. -Which stage of group development is characterized by cohesiveness and close relationships?

Which of the following types of teams are involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems within a particular unit of the company?

Describe six common types of work teams.

At Sony, an electronics manufacturer, a special team was selected to work out a marketing plan for its newest product, a voice- activated DVD player that uses voice recognition commands instead of control buttons. During their most recent meeting, there was a conflict between a design manager and a marketing representative about whose responsibility it was to draft the marketing plan. Several members of the team got into a shouting match with one another, and insults were exchanged. This team seems to be at the __________stage of group development.