Exam 15: Managing Groups and Teams

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following questions. Group Development at MagPie Inc. As a consultant who specializes in group dynamics, you are observing MagPie Inc.'s self-managing teams and work groups which are in different stages of development. MagPie is a medium-sized manufacturing business and has recently started using teams in all of their operations. Team training is lacking and you have been asked to evaluate the teams and suggest actions for better cohesiveness among the team members. You have labelled the teams A, B, C, D and E, in order to conceal their names. Group D has resolved its issues of leadership and is devoting all of its energy to getting the job done. Team C, on the other hand, shows significant resistance to its appointed leader's guidance and there is a lot of argument over roles within the group. The members of Group A are getting acquainted in their meeting. The team is made up of employees from different divisions and departments and they are still getting to know each other. Team E is in the process of setting their formal rules, roles, and clarifying expectations. Everyone seems to be in agreement as to how these are done. Team B is full of hostility. At least one group member has withdrawn by sitting quietly away from the others, and is no longer participating in the discussions. -Group A appears to be at which stage?

Which of the following requires the least interdependence between its members?

What is the reason that a low-to-moderate level of task conflict consistently has a positive effect on group performance?

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following questions. A New Group (Scenario) David had been away from his old company, Control Tech, for a while. He remembered that when he worked there 10 years ago, the company was very traditional and conservative. The lines of authority and responsibility were established and clear. Now, it felt ironic that he was managing the consulting team that was going to help bring a group orientation into being. In addition to the traditional hierarchy, with a manager and subordinates, he saw a need to introduce teams comprised of individuals from various work areas to help solve operational problems. He also felt that for certain projects, there could be groups that could function essentially independently, even taking on traditional management responsibilities such as hiring, planning, and scheduling. Plus, he also saw real potential for special, temporary projects to be handled by groups that would disband once the task was completed. -All of the groups being considered by David are examples of __________.

Which of the following statements is true about group decision making?

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following questions. The Retreat (Scenario) The first-line managers were sent on a retreat to Niagara Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting. Few people knew one another, but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that will be effective and usable. Their years of complaining about the old system had landed them with this new responsibility dumped right in their lap. They had four days to become brilliant, and everyone was a little on edge. The first day, little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader. Finally, Jim seemed to wrestle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group. By the second day, the group seemed to begin working well. They spent the morning deciding how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process. The third and fourth days saw the new managers move amazingly quickly, with ideas flowing freely. By the end of the fourth day, they had a workable system developed, and they felt satisfied. That night they all signed the new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day. They all felt a sense of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life. -When the management group was deciding on their decision rules, they were in the __________ stage of team development.

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

________ occurs when a supervisor earns less than his or her subordinates.

Refer to the scenario below to answer the following questions. Conflicting Opinions (Scenario) The two vice-presidents were in a heated debate. Celine believed that the company's traditional marketing strategy was no longer effective at attracting new customers, and that loyal customers would stay regardless. So, she proposed an aggressive new marketing promotion to "spice things up a bit" and target new customers. Merle strongly disagreed. He felt the company was doing fine and was concerned that an aggressive new approach might scare away loyal customers without any guarantee of gaining new customers. Regardless of who was right, their battle was causing a stir in the organization. Some felt that a conflict such as this hurt the company and made it appear weak to employees and shareholders. Others felt that a conflict over marketing strategies was bound to occur eventually, and that it may even help the company. Still others even encouraged such conflict and felt it was absolutely necessary in order to achieve the best outcome. -Conflict that supports the organization's goals is considered __________ conflict.

Groupthink has the ability to undermine critical thinking in the group and harm the quality of decision making.

A group's performance potential depends to a large extent on the individual resources its members bring to the group.

Work teams interact primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member do his or her job more efficiently and effectively.

Identify the key difference between work teams and work groups.

The pattern of informal connections among individuals in group is referred to as the _____________.

The challenge of creating team players is greatest when the national culture is highly collectivist.

Goal setting is not as important for teams as it is for individual employees.

Which of the following formal groups are essentially independent groups, which, in addition to their regular duties, take on tasks such as hiring, planning, scheduling, and performance evaluations?

Which formal group is determined by the organization chart and composed of individuals who report directly to a given manager?

Brittney is bringing muffins to her next team meeting as a friendly gesture to help them get off to a good start. Brittney is performing a group satisfaction role.

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