Exam 16: Managing Groups and Teams

Manny's Many Conflicts (Scenario) Manny Gill is reflecting on several recent conflicts at work and how they were resolved. He has spent weeks of careful negotiations with the labour union representing most of his workers. The previous round of negotiations had not gone well, and Manny saw an opportunity to try to mend the relationship between labour and management. In the end, both sides had to give up some of their demands in order to achieve a settlement before the current agreement expired. However, Manny was not about to give up any ground on his dispute with the production manager over the latest budget allocation. His position may not be popular, but Manny knew he was right! Then there was his brief encounter with Jeff, who complained that Sherry kept leaving the photocopier tray empty. Manny did not have time to deal with such squabbles, so he told Jeff to sort it out with Sherry directly. At home, he was hoping to catch the game on TV last night, but his wife wanted to watch a light romantic comedy instead. Manny agreed to watch the movie with her since it really seemed to be important to her. Besides, he could always catch the game highlights on the news at eleven! -Which conflict-resolution technique did Manny try first in the labour negotiation?

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 resource 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 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 from procurement, engineering, and production. It 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 onscreen 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.

________ is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually.

Conformity to social norms tends to be higher in individualistic cultures than in collectivist cultures.

The most noticeable result of the social network structures within teams in an organization is ________.

A set of expected behaviour patterns attributed to someone who occupies a given position in a social unit is called ________.

Juan is encouraging some of the quieter team members to express their thoughts about the new proposal.Juan is performing a group member ________ role.

Group cohesiveness is the degree to which members are attracted to one another and share the group's goals.

The acceptable standards or expectations that are shared by group members are referred to as ________.

A group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions that will help each group member perform within his or her area of responsibility is a ________.

In which of the following conflict resolution techniques are conflicts resolved by seeking an advantageous solution for all the parties involved?

Which of the following is a negative aspect of group norms?

Which conflict resolution technique involves high levels of both cooperativeness and assertiveness?

The ________ view of conflict argues that conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group.

In a short essay,describe briefly the characteristics that are associated with effective teams.

A manager attempts to resolve a conflict by seeking an advantageous solution for all the parties involved.This conflict management technique is called accommodating.

The historical practice of minimizing conflict did not produce harmony and loyalty.Instead it ________.

Effective teams are characterized by high ________,which means that the members believe in one another's integrity,character,and ability.

The first stage of team development is storming.

Which of the following is a benefit of using global teams?