Deck 12: Managing Work Groups: Teamwork, Morale and Counseling

Question 1

A team can be successful without working together to achieve individual and team objectives.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A command group is a group of employees according to the authority relationships on the formal organization chart.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Employee attitudes and morale can sometimes be shaped significantly by one's fellow workers.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Employee morale reflects how effectively a supervisor is performing his or her managerial responsibilities.

Question 5

If a worker is part of a command group, then that worker cannot be a member of another group.

Question 6

Self-directed work teams will never be able to carry out the responsibilities that belong to managers or the human resources department.

Question 7

A group that organizes a company softball tournament is an example of a special-interest group.

Question 8

The Hawthorne Studies supports the adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same".

Question 9

Although they are rarely together, virtual teams must meet face-to-face at least once each month.

Question 10

A supervisor cannot order an employee to improve his or her morale.

Question 11

Workplace spirituality basically means ensuring that all employees are strongly religious.

Question 12

In recent years, employee morale is believed to have risen due to employers becoming increasingly trustworthy and loyal to their employees.

Question 13

Members of a cohesive work group enjoy their group affiliation.

Question 14

Studies indicate that teams are most effective when the focus is on managing the team as a group and having the team manage its individual members.

Question 15

A cross-functional team consists of employees from many different departments or specialties throughout the organization.

Question 16

The effectiveness of work groups is tied directly to the amount of diversity among the members' personal characteristics.

Question 17

A cross-functional team is an example of a command group.

Question 18

Katzenbach and Smith found that small work teams of ten members or fewer are more likely to be effective than larger work teams.

Question 19

Specific and realistic objectives make individual employees more effective, but hinder the performance of work teams.

Question 20

Highly effective teams are always supporting and encouraging of one another.

Question 21

Attitude surveys and morale surveys differ in many ways, but look to achieve the same thing.

Question 22

The supervisor's main role as counselor is to help the employee get his or her life back together.

Question 23

Organizational development (OD) is also known as team building or process consultation.

Question 24

Workplace downsizing has not negatively influenced employee morale because only the "bad apples" have been let go; companies always retain positive-thinking employees.

Question 25

In order for an employee assistance program (EAP) to be effective, the supervisor should not get involved once the EAP is handling the situation.

Question 26

Supervisors can sometimes easily fix complaints that come to light in employee attitude surveys.

Question 27

Strong's Bakery has seven employees; therefore, the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) do not apply to this company.

Question 28

The HR department at Allied Manufacturing started a lunchtime walking club for its employees. This is an example of a wellness program that helps employees stay healthy and reduce employer health costs.

Question 29

Morale helps achieve teamwork, therefore, there cannot be high levels of teamwork in a work team if morale is low.

Question 30

Morale influences outside the organization are generally beyond a supervisor's control.

Question 31

One technique to assess employee morale is through an attitude survey.

Question 32

Employee morale will likely decline if needed changes are not made after an attitude survey has been conducted.

Question 33

An exit interview is an interview conducted with individuals when they leave a firm. Its purpose is to assess morale and reasons for employee turnover.

Question 34

"Survivor's syndrome" refers to the joy and relief workers feel when they realize that they have not lost their jobs due to a downsizing.

Question 35

In recent years, workplace violence has increased dramatically.

Question 36

Coaching is when the supervisor tries to identify an employee's personal problems that may be the cause of performance problems.

Question 37

If Anna asks to meet with her supervisor, Terri, for a counseling interview, it is important for Terri to be empathetic and encouraging during the interview.

Question 38

Workplace accidents have nothing to do with possible employee morale problems.

Question 39

Increasingly, companies are developing paid time off programs where employees can use their accrued time off for personal reasons rahter than solely for illnesses or vacations.

Question 40

Aside from referring an employee to some source of assistance there is nothing else the supervisor can do to cope with the factors affecting an employee's morale.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a reason why a work group is cohesive?

A) The group is small.
B) The group shares similar personal characteristics.
C) The group has been formed due to outside pressures.
D) The group is autonomous.

Question 42

Kenyon is a supervisor who is confused. Maddie was his top producer last year, but her production has sharply declined over the last two months and her tardiness is becoming a problem. Kenyon should:

A) Encourage Maddie to become involved in the company's wellness program.
B) Advise Maddie to take advantage of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
C) Refer Maddie to the company's employee assistance program.
D) Remind Maddie of the importance of meeting company quotas.

Question 43

When Mason Automotive Supply asked employees from a number of departments, such as marketing, finance, technology, sales, human resources and production, to come together to accomplish a particular task, it was an example of a:

A) Command group.
B) Special-interest group.
C) Task group.
D) Friendship group.

Question 44

Friendship groups are related primarily to:

A) Departmental assignments.
B) The accomplishment of a particular task or project.
C) Personalities and social interests.
D) Geographic location.

Question 45

Which of the following statements about employee attitude surveys is CORRECT?

A) Questionnaires must be filled out by employees in the privacy of their homes.
B) Employees should be allowed to fill out a questionnaire on an anonymous basis.
C) All questionnaires are of the free-form essay type.
D) Tabulation and analysis of questionnaires is usually assigned to each department supervisor.

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a common reason for the formation of work groups?

A) Problem solving.
B) Social loafing.
C) Companionship.
D) Labor union mandates.

Question 47

All of the following are characteristics of a counselor:

A) Good coach.
B) Good listener.
C) Provides guidance.
D) Provides encouragement.

Question 48

The supervisor plays a key role in coordinating efforts throughout the company to prevent workplace violence.

Question 49

All of the following are internal factors that influence employee morale, EXCEPT:

A) Relations with coworkers.
B) Inclement weather.
C) Problems with friends.
D) Job security.

Question 50

Audrey works for a team that sets its own targets and goals after consulting with higher management. Audrey probably works in a/n:

A) Virtual team.
B) Self-directed work team.
C) Autocratic team.
D) Matrix team.

Question 51

Which of the following is another term for organizational development (OD)?

A) Counseling.
B) Guiding.
C) Process consultation.
D) Surveying.

Question 52

The Hawthorne Studies is comprehensive research focused on:

A) Work group dynamics.
B) Individual behavior.
C) The differences between males and females.
D) Effective supervision.

Question 53

Which of the following statements about workplace incivility is CORRECT?

A) Rude people are much more likely to be in lower positions than their targets.
B) Workplace incivility has declined in recent years.
C) Insensitive on-the-job behavior may make employees feel bad, but it rarely affects productivity.
D) Employees sometimes retaliate against workplace incivility by decreasing their work effort.

Question 54

When employee morale is high:

A) Teamwork may still be absent.
B) Collaboration among employees will always exist.
C) Productivity will be lower because employees will not feel "driven" to perform.
D) None of the above.

Question 55

Studies of workplace violence have shown that the victims usually do not know their assailants.

Question 56

Which of the following conclusions about work teams was NOT identified by Katzenbach and Smith?

A) Teams function better when they have ten or more people in them.
B) Team members should have complementary skills.
C) Teams should be committed to objectives that are realistic and specific.
D) Team members should be committed to the group and the performance of the group.

Question 57

Morale is best defined as:

A) The willingness of employees to carry out assigned tasks.
B) A sense of loyalty an individual has toward his or her work and company.
C) A combination of feelings and attitudes that employees have toward their work, environment, supervisors, top-level management, and the organization.
D) The belief that one can succeed under all circumstances and in all environments and organizations.

Question 58

Yesterday, Susan decided to talk with Jillian about her performance. Jillian has been a good performer, but lately her productivity seems to be slipping. During this talk, Susan should:

A) Tell Jillian to get with it and start producing.
B) Meet privately with Jillian in a counseling interview.
C) Approach Jillian on the job in front of other workers and shame her into performing.
D) Ignore the problem but start looking for Jillian's replacement.

Question 59

Which of the following is a technique for assessing employee morale?

A) Supervisory training.
B) Employee exams.
C) Studying patterns of employee behavior
D) Workplace theories.

Question 60

In a collaborative workplace:

A) Individuals, not work teams, are paramount.
B) Management alone has decision-making authority.
C) Teamwork processes are used to promote trust and to build consensus.
D) All of the above.

Question 61

What is synergistic effect?

Question 62

What does organizational development strive to address?

Question 63

Describe some of the characteristics that increase the cohesiveness of work groups.

Question 64

Describe the four major types of employee work groups.

Question 65

Briefly discuss the impact of downsizing on employee morale.

Question 66

What can a supervisor do to influence employee morale?

Question 67

Why should a supervisor avoid offering specific advice in a counseling interview?

Question 68

It has been reported that today's workers are much less happy with many aspects of their jobs than were employees in the past. According to the text, what accounts for this lowered morale?

Question 69

When is a task group necessary?

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT one of the four ways by which a person may enter an employee assistance program (EAP)?

A) Management referral.
B) Self-referral.
C) Union referral.
D) Family member referral.