Deck 8: Teams and Networks: Communication and Collaborative Work

Question 1

In his model of workplace democracy, which of the following is Deetz's goal in shared decision making?

A) Team-based organizations
B) Highly reliable organizations
C) Constitutive codetermination
D) Ethical communication

Answer 1

C

Question 2

FedEx, General Electric, and General Mills all recorded significant productivity improvements, and Texas Instruments Malaysia boosted employee output by 100 percent, after incorporating

A) matrix organizations.
B) work teams.
C) virtual teams.
D) quality-improvement teams.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The most effective methods of conflict resolution focus on balancing

A) profits and people.
B) "concern for others" and "concern for self."
C) ethics and agenda.
D) employee interests and shareholder interests.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Organizations that structure themselves around independent decision-making groups, not individuals, as a way of improving work processes and quality of service are also known as

A) highly reliable organizations.
B) team-based organizations.
C) turbulent organizations.
D) stakeholder organizations.

Question 5

Quality-improvement teams are responsible for all of the following EXCEPT

A) improving customer satisfaction.
B) evaluating and improving team performance.
C) reducing costs.
D) reporting directly to shareholders.

Question 6

When group members go along with, rather than critically evaluate, the group's proposals or ideas, they are

A) building a network.
B) achieving consensus.
C) engaging in groupthink.
D) doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Question 7

According to the text, what is a source of conflict among teams?

A) People have different communication styles.
B) People have personality differences that cannot be resolved.
C) People pursue different interests.
D) There is no primary reason for team conflict.

Question 8

At General Electric, management selects one hundred employees to attend a three-day conference. A facilitator divides the employees into groups, and each group identifies problems within the company and recommends changes to senior management. This example illustrates which of the following types of teams?

A) Quality improvement
B) Virtual
C) Project
D) Work

Question 9

Which of the following teams fall into a more advanced category?

A) Work teams
B) Project teams
C) Quality-improvement teams
D) Community-engaged and virtual teams

Question 10

According to the text, most conflict comes from

A) acquisition and use of resources.
B) an actual opposition in goals.
C) a perceived opposition in goals.
D) pressure from external stakeholders.

Question 11

According to the text, which of the following phases of the negotiation process does NOT occur in all cultures?

A) Developing relationships with others
B) Exchanging information about topics under negotiation
C) Recognizing multicultural techniques of persuasion
D) Encouraging members to stick to what they believe in

Question 12

Which of the following theorists created the multiple-stakeholder model as a way to promote greater democracy in organizations?

A) Karl Marx
B) Dennis Mumby
C) Aubrey Fisher
D) Stan Deetz

Question 13

Which of the following types of teams requires the superior to act as a facilitator, being hard on rules and goals, while respecting the free exchange of ideas?

A) Project team
B) Empowered work team
C) Quality improvement team
D) Virtual team

Question 14

According to the text, which of the following are the most powerful groups that emerge from formal and informal communication among people who work together?

A) Highly reliable organizations
B) Project teams
C) Emergent communication networks
D) Small-group communication networks

Question 15

Which of the following operates at the highest level of empowerment?

A) Emergent communication networks
B) Quality-improvement teams
C) Self-directed work teams
D) Virtual teams

Question 16

According to the text, teams that avoid the conflict stage are more likely to experience

A) groupthink.
B) collaboration.
C) involvement.
D) difference.

Question 17

As a strategy for managing conflict, collaboration operates by

A) emphasizing new solutions.
B) emphasizing high assertiveness combined with high levels of cooperation.
C) emphasizing compromise.
D) accommodating all parties' interests.

Question 18

Which of the following models seeks to balance the demands of global economic competition with a respect for the well-being of people and the environment?

A) Model of positive collaboration
B) Model of conflict management and consensus
C) Multiple-stakeholder model
D) Model of sustainable communication

Question 19

What type of team has long been used by organizations in the design and development of new products and services?

A) Project teams
B) Consensus-driven organizations
C) Virtual teams
D) Collaborative teams

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT one of Aubrey Fisher's stages in her model of group decision making?

A) Norming
B) Conflict
C) Orientation
D) Emergence

Question 21

Multiplex relationships are less significant than uniplex relationships in promoting social support and organizational innovation.

Question 22

In a global society, networks are becoming increasingly important and are continuously changing and transforming.

Question 23

The informal rules that guide acceptable behavior in organizations are known as

A) decision-making strategies.
B) roles.
C) norms.
D) emergent networks.

Question 24

Conflict is always a bad thing.

Question 25

Self-directed work teams have an ironic name, because they are rarely directed by the actual members of the group.

Question 26

Teams fail primarily because individuals do not want autonomy and independence in the workplace.

Question 27

Individuals somehow always manage to perform their preferred conflict styles.

Question 28

The multiple-stakeholder model asserts that organizations should value more perspectives than just those of the shareholders and stockholders.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a communication role that often occurs in a network?

A) Isolate
B) Bridge
C) Group member
D) Leader

Question 30

Communication networks that experience shared meaning among their members about major organizational issues are said to be

A) dense.
B) connected.
C) sparse.
D) rich.

Question 31

All cultures engage in the same phases of the negotiation process, but the amount of time that they devote to each phase may differ.

Question 32

Consensus, by definition, means that all members agree with a given outcome.

Question 33

Consensus is possible only when a select few people are a part of the decision-making process.

Question 34

Highly interdependent interorganizational networks are sensitive to environmental jolts that affect whole industries.

Question 35

Research shows that diverse teams tend to struggle less at the beginning of their work process.

Question 36

Communication technologies have become a key resource for basic teams and an absolute necessity for virtual and community-engaged teams.

Question 37

Network analyses should always be shared with management, regardless of how the outcomes may affect the employees who participated.

Question 38

All of the following are guidelines for team communication that Senge and his colleagues claim promote team learning EXCEPT

A) balancing inquiry and advocacy.
B) bringing tacit assumptions to the surface of team dialogue.
C) becoming aware of the assumptions that inform conclusions.
D) finding the most appropriate leader.

Question 39

Networking can be used to balance work and family concerns.

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT one of the three types of network linkages as identified by Eric Eisenberg?

A) Institutional
B) Educational
C) Representative
D) Personal

Question 41

What promises does Stan Deetz's multiple-stakeholder model hold for individuals who work in teams? What perils does this model also pose?

Question 42

Explain the role of interorganizational communication networks in contemporary organizations. Construct an example that illustrates the important parts of these networks.

Question 43

Use an example from your own experience with organizations to illustrate the concept of communication network roles. Be specific about which role your example demonstrates (i.e., the isolate, group member, bridge, or liaison).

Question 44

What is the difference between a project team and a work team? Provide an example of each.

Question 45

What role does groupthink play as teams and networks develop? How do most groups end up experiencing groupthink? What are some ways in which it can be avoided?

Question 46

What parts do roles and norms play in the communicative dimensions of teamwork?

Question 47

How do teams learn? Provide an example that illustrates your point.

Question 48

Different types of jobs require different types of teams. Chapter 8 illustrates four general types of teams (project, work, quality improvement, and virtual). Outline the purpose and goals of each type of team, and offer an example for each of the four types.

Question 49

How have virtual teams changed the way that organizational members communicate? Consider different technologies that help virtual teams interact as well as how concepts such as culture and boundaries are also changed in a virtual world.

Question 50

What are the four important factors in team formation?

Question 51

Chapter 8 begins by outlining Stan Deetz's multiple-stakeholder model as a way to promote democracy and participation in organizations. What does it mean to be a part of a "democratic" organization? Should modern workplaces and corporations be required to operate more democratically, considering that they operate in a country with democratic principles? Use concepts from Deetz's multiple-stakeholder model to defend your answer.

Question 52

Consider the concepts of conflict, consensus, and workplace democracy. How should organizational members pursue the goals of workplace democracy? Make sure you explain how the processes of conflict management and consensus building would affect that pursuit. Use examples to support your points throughout.

Question 53

What is an example of an extraorganizational network? Why are they important to understanding the general processes of organizational communication and work in teams?