Exam 8: Self-Managed Teams and Team Leadership

Teams are often credited with making better decisions than individuals, yet they are also criticized for groupthink. What are some strategies for creating effective teams that are not victims of the groupthink phenomenon?

The team leader's role in creating an effective team is to identify and build the team's weaknesses.

A team member is expressing her frustration with her company over the fact that management expects high-quality products but insists on buying mostly cheap parts/materials from suppliers. What category would this behavior fall under in managing creative teams?

Which of the following statements regarding virtual teams is NOT true?

To enhance the effectiveness of an SMT, top management should:

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working in teams.

Recall a team you have worked with that you would characterize as effective. What role(s) did your leader and/or organization play in making the team effective?

____ distract the group during a meeting from the agenda items, tend to change the subject, and often like to complain.

Some of our team members receive different incentives and rewards when we complete our projects. Which of the following guidelines for improving SMT effectiveness is missing in this situation?

Which of the following statements regarding groups and teams is TRUE?

____ is when multiple leaders take complementary leadership roles in rotation within the same SMT, according to their area of expertise or interest.

Rick and Ellen have been disagreeing a lot during recent team meetings; however, no one on the team has stepped up to help them overcome their differences. Which of the following guidelines for improving SMT effectiveness is missing in this situation?

In distributed leadership, different self-managed team members assume different leadership roles as circumstances and task requirements warrant.

Problems in SMTs may arise because of:

Which of the following is NOT one of the components of team effectiveness?

What are the benefits of using cross-functional teams?

Small teams are generally more effective than larger teams.

The self-managed team facilitator is the external leader of a self-managed team, whose job is to create optimal working conditions so team members take on responsibilities to work productively and solve complex problems on their own.

Social loafing in a team is likely to occur when each team member's effort is recognized and assessed.

Explain the differences between traditional and self-managed teams.