Deck 8: Team and Work Group Communication

Question 1

From the point of view of Lipman-Blumen et al (1999) in the theory of groups, organisations should:

A) encourage creativity.
B) loosen controls.
C) encourage more group activity than individualism.
D) adapt to the dynamic environment.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to Wageman (1997), the key principle behind self-managing teams is that:

A) the managers take responsibility for their work.
B) the team takes responsibility for its work exclusively.
C) the team takes responsibility for its work and also monitors and alters its performance.
D) the managers not only take responsibility for the work but also monitor and alter the team's performance.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Knowing how to use the diversity of cultures in teams and groups will:

A) improve the relationships between managers and followers.
B) provide a source of competitive advantage.
C) strengthen the unity of the group.
D) help to collect knowledge.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The difference between a group and a team is that:

A) teams are formed and developed; groups are made up of a collection of individuals.
B) in a team each member has a job, the team has a common purpose and something that it must achieve together; a group may not have one or more of these elements.
C) teams are formal constructs, groups are informal constructs.
D) there is no difference- the terms are used interchangeably.

Question 5

The evaluation of team work is based on

A) how knowledgeable the staff is.
B) how staff want to communicate with other members in the team.
C) what family background staff have.
D) what the team does, and how it achieves what it does.

Question 6

Which two dimensions are considered when evaluating a work team's effectiveness?

A) Outcomes and behaviours.
B) Tasks and behaviours.
C) Tasks and outcomes.
D) Performance and development.

Question 7

Why are self-managed work teams considered a suitable vehicle for achieving work?

A) They have greater flexibility and creativity in their approach and processes.
B) They are not required to take responsibility for their outcomes as they are closely monitored by senior management.
C) They seek out team self-improvement whilst the work is being done.
D) Both A and
C)

Question 8

Lucas, Joan, Andrea, and Thomas have decided to arrange a meeting over coffee to work on a specific idea that they are keen to develop. What kind of team are they likely to be part of?

A) A cross-functional team.
B) A virtual team.
C) A hot group.
D) A self-managed work team.

Question 9

In a participative team, the members

A) have their deliberations facilitated by the team leader and are coached by the team leader.
B) have an equal say in what will be done.
C) have a formal process to capture ideas, test and then adopt these ideas once approved by the entire team.
D) follow a consensus-building process to maintain the engagement and commitment of all members.

Question 10

A work team is defined as a group:

A) consisting of managers and followers.
B) whose members work together on a particular task to achieve common goals.
C) whose members contribute to the relationship between customers and service.
D) whose members are interested in personal development.

Question 11

When is a team able to perform effectively according to the theories of 'teams and groups'?

A) Once team members relate to one another and make connections between their knowledge and that of others in the group
B) When team members are united as friends
C) When team members are willing to be promoted
D) Once team members establish good individual images

Question 12

Wageman (1997) identified a number of critical success factors for self-managing teams. This is best shown in:

A) a clear direction, basic resources, a suitable reward system, authority for the team to manage their work approach, deadlines and coaching.
B) a team-developed goal, the right skill set, dedication to the task, continuous consensus building, clear communication, measurable outcomes.
C) taking responsibility for their work, monitoring their own performance, altering approaches and strategies depending on circumstances.
D) having an outward focus that is balanced with accomplishing the task at hand, taking time to plan and review regularly, and seeking to continuous improvement.

Question 13

A work team's effectiveness is shown by:

A) the quantity and quality of its outputs.
B) how the members interact in the achievement of team goals.
C) the capacity of the team to fulfil its charter now and adapt to ongoing change in the future.
D) all of the above.

Question 14

In the theory of teams and groups in communication practice, the informal group is known as:

A) a pioneer group.
B) the 'gang of three'.
C) a virtual team.
D) a 'friendship' or 'interest' group.

Question 15

Which type of team or group is increasingly relied upon in global organisations and alliances?

A) Virtual teams
B) Internet teams
C) Cross-functional teams
D) Self-managed teams

Question 16

According to Lipman-Blumen et al (1999), what do today's organisations need?

A) More teams
B) More impassioned managers
C) More 'hot' groups
D) More successful organisations

Question 17

A project team is regarded as a(n)

A) contractual arrangement.
B) informal group.
C) formal group.
D) common interest group.

Question 18

Which of the following is a key difference between a formal group and an informal group?

A) A formal group is the only formed for task functions, whereas informal groups are only formed for relational functions.
B) A formal group is only formed at department level or higher, whereas informal groups can occur at any level in an organisation.
C) A formal group is constructed by management whereas an informal group has not been formally established within the organisation
D) There are no key differences between formal and informal groups within organisations

Question 19

Cross-functional teams are:

A) typically virtual teams that can be classified into three types.
B) interdisciplinary teams with members from several functional areas.
C) teams with members working on limited tasks.
D) teams with members primarily responsible for knowledge management.

Question 20

What is NOT key to identifying a team?

A) Whether members are operating within a charter.
B) Whether members see themselves as having specified roles.
C) Whether members strive to be better than their fellow members.
D) Whether members see the team as accountable for achieving specified organisational goals.

Question 21

According to Goodman et al (1987) and Hogg et al (2006), norms in 'teams and groups' are defined as:

A) incentives provided by an organisation to 'get the job done'.
B) formal codes of practice essential to a workgroup.
C) the acceptable standards, expectations or 'rules' that 'regulate' and foster uniform behaviours.
D) the normal behaviours exemplified by leaders and adopted by the followers.

Question 22

Explain what a team is and describe the types of teams, their characteristics, purposes, functions and effects in practice. Which one do you recommend and why?

Question 23

Access to technology is the most crucial factor in the success of a virtual team.

Question 24

According to Shaw et al (2000), the characteristics of effective teams include appropriate leadership, clear goals, relevant skills, mutual trust, unified commitment, good communication, negotiating skills and internal and external support.

Question 25

What is the name given to a leader who shares the decision-making role with their team members?

A) An authoritarian leader.
B) A participative leader.
C) A laissez-faire leader.
D) An enlightened leader.

Question 26

Outline the advantages and disadvantages of group decisions. What are the five keys to group and team empowerment? Identify the two factors that may lower the standards and expectations of a group?

Question 27

Working in groups and teams has both advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is 'risk-shifting'. Which of the following describes the process of 'risk-shifting'?

A) Risk is split with management because the group wants to share the weight of making the wrong choice with more senior personnel.
B) A decision is made to go with the higher risk option because the responsibility will rest with the whole group if the decision proves to be a poor one.
C) The team or group abandons its responsibility altogether, preferring to pass risky decisions to consultants or senior management.
D) Little or no time is allowed to consider the attendant risks of a proposition or course of action being confronted by the team.

Question 28

The advantages of a group decision over an individual decision theoretically depend on:

A) the information the group can provide.
B) the competencies within and the effectiveness of the group.
C) the outcomes the group achieved.
D) the communication skills in the group.

Question 29

Self-managed work teams are neither semi-autonomous nor autonomous, with a high level of control over their work.

Question 30

One of the factors common to all project teams is clarity of purpose, achieved by understanding their manager's needs.

Question 31

The role of teams is to make decisions, plan, achieve goals, reflect on and assess its own performance and to plan again if necessary.

Question 32

Virtual teams interact and collaborate in the physical location of their company's building .

Question 33

'Teams are the answer in the current highly fluid chaotic business environment'. Provide a balanced response to this assertion in which you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of teams.

Question 34

The number of changes currently affecting organisations makes it unlikely that any one person will be trained to have the full set of skills needed to complete every task.

Question 35

The difference between formal and informal groups in the theory of teams and groups is whether the group is established by management.

Question 36

Ways of doing things imposed from the top down can be taken as an unsuccessful project in the theory of teams and groups.

Question 37

What are the two major categories of workgroups in an organisation?

A) Forming and storming.
B) Formal and informal.
C) Autonomous and managed.
D) Norming and performing.

Question 38

Individuals are believed to be more effective than groups in evaluating ambiguous situations, promoting unique ideas, recalling information accurately and, consequently, making good decisions.

Question 39

Supervisory groups are critical to the effectiveness of self-managing work teams.

Question 40

The words 'team' and group' are used interchangeably.

Question 41

According to Tuckman (1965), groups go through a number of stages in 'group development'. Those stages are:

A) goal setting, role determination, action planning, execution, review.
B) skill auditing, selection, role allocation, performance, team review.
C) forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning.
D) forming, storming, norming, performing.

Question 42

The information seeker and information giver are maintenance-related functions rather than task-related functions.

Question 43

Intergenerational teams are made up of three of the four groups: baby boomers, generation X, generation Y and generation Z.

Question 44

What are the roles within a group or team? Discuss the roles that can emerge within a work group or team and how they work in practice. Discuss the impact of leadership on a group or team.

Question 45

Norms in the theory of teams and groups are the shared ideas and expectations about how members of a group should behave.

Question 46

A digital native is an individual who was born prior to the widespread adoption of digital technology.

Question 47

As the group is restructured, the committee disbanded or the task force dissolved after completing its objectives, which stage does the group go through?

A) Performing stage occurs.
B) Storming stage arises.
C) Adjourning stage arises.
D) Norming stage occurs.

Question 48

A role within a group or team is:

A) a set of expected behaviours associated with a position.
B) a set of criteria which individuals need to satisfy.
C) a position people are interested in as a symbol of power.
D) a set of behaviours that emerges at the stage of group formation.

Question 49

Gender equality in the workplace is achieved when people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of gender.

Question 50

Dysfunctional roles are behaviours intended to distract a group from its purpose or to inhibit progress towards its goals.

Question 51

As the individuals in a group or team continue to engage with each other through good communication, personal issues emerge relating to:

A) inclusion of the individual, knowledge of the location of power and acceptance of the individual by the remainder of the group/team.
B) social competence, emotional intelligence, and the individual's evolving task and interpersonal roles in the group.
C) emotional attachment to the group, sense of belonging and morale maintenance.
D) level of on-going support from the rest of the team, esteem afforded to the individual by the team, and degree of self-actualisation potential in the team context.

Question 52

Team performance is affected by a number of variables, including size. According to the researchers cited in the textbook, the ideal group size is:

A) from four to eight members.
B) from ten to twelve members.
C) dependent on a number of factors.
D) the researchers do not agree.

Question 53

In a meeting, a group is told about some new ideas. Although no-one in the group likes the ideas, no-one challenges them within the group. What kind of group would this be considered to be?

A) A cohesive group.
B) An effective group.
C) A group suffering from 'groupthink'.
D) A leadership group.

Question 54

There are team members who are dysfunctional with regard to the purpose of the team. Such types of people are seen in roles of:

A) attention-seeker, aggressor, apologist, atavist and avoider.
B) power-seeker, pawn, politician, pugilist and pauper.
C) pessimist, blocker, aggressor, a show-off, lobbyist and rebel.
D) nay-sayer, victim, power-broker, mendicant and mollifier.

Question 55

The quality of interactions, sharing of information, decision making and team activities at each of the five stages of team development is affected by the team members' skills in collaboration and communication.

Question 56

The desired outcome of communication within a group is that everyone feels included, at every stage of team development.

Question 57

Think about a group you are currently part of, or that you have been part of. What 'type' of group do you think best describes it and why? Which stage of development is this group and explain through behaviours why you think this group is in that stage.

Question 58

How is the type of role that a person plays in a team determined?

A) Personality pre-disposition, self-image, perceptions of others, rewards and self-expectations.
B) The tasks allocated to the individual team member.
C) The prestige and power that is to be gained from fulfilling a particular role.
D) Their status and ability to manage others.

Question 59

What do organisations need in order to encourage teamwork?

A) A flat structure
B) A diverse workforce
C) Managers and team leaders who create a positive communication climate
D) Systems and procedures

Question 60

Taking time out to celebrate an achievement or a social occasion such as a team member's birthday or anniversary are examples of what?

A) Task-related activities.
B) Maintenance-related activities.
C) Human capital building roles.
D) Social engineering roles.

Question 61

Each member brings interpersonal concerns to the group and these concerns become part of the group process as the social needs of individual members emerge.

Question 62

Dyer and colleagues (2013) have presented the four Cs of team performance. Which 'C' is referred to when discussing a team's abilities to problem solve and manage conflict?

A) Context
B) Composition
C) Change
D) Competencies

Question 63

What are the four group decision-making techniques and what is the purpose of each? Describe how a team can facilitate effective decision making. How can a team leader facilitate member participation?

Question 64

Defensive roles can sometimes help a group.

Question 65

What are the factors that influence work groups and team performance? Discuss which ones do you think occur quite often and why.

Question 66

The nature of teamwork is best described as being based on

A) cooperation and collaboration.
B) work-role allocation and performance.
C) communication and consensus.
D) friendship or common interests.

Question 67

Diversity of backgrounds, experiences and approaches is uncommon in cross-functional teams.

Question 68

The purpose of the participation technique of attending is:

A) keeping a group discussion on track and highlighting or clarifying what has occurred.
B) informing a participant, subgroup or entire group about discrepancies.
C) letting others in a group know that you are paying close attention.
D) providing pay-offs, such as praise, for effort and/or achievement.

Question 69

Gatekeeping involves asking questions and giving information in a group in order to solve problems, get to know one another, clarify information and receive and give feedback.

Question 70

It is unlikely that an autonomous group led by a laissez-faire leader would have a good idea of what is going on in the organisation.

Question 71

Mediating involves attempting to resolve conflicts among participants.

Question 72

Factors affecting group performance include: size, leadership, members, team structure, cohesiveness, groupthink, climate, environment, intervention, work-group moods, work-team enablers, power, accountability, capability, direction and transparency.

Question 73

The differences between organisations and groups are the structure, size and norms.

Question 74

Teamwork means people work together to accomplish a common goal.

Question 75

The communication climate of the group has a significant effect on the effectiveness of the group.

Question 76

It is rare to find a totally authoritarian or laissez-faire leader.

Question 77

According to Bertcher (1994) to get the job done, team members need to engage in two kinds of interdependent behaviours. These are

A) individual and team behaviours.
B) task and socioemotional behaviours.
C) goal-setting and objective-setting behaviours.
D) structural and communication behaviours.

Question 78

Group performance is the result of a complex interaction between people and the roles they play within the group.

Question 79

Advocates of teamwork believe that there are many intrinsic rewards for employees from the adoption of these work practices.

Question 80

There is a risk that effective groups may be exclusive and negative towards others who are different.