Deck 6: Work Well in Teams

Question 1

Members of high-performance teams have the right mix of technical, problem-solving, decision-making, and interpersonal skills.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The willingness of a team to disband when the job is done and to work well together in future responsibilities is an important long-run test of team success.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

During the norming stage of team development, coalitions or cliques may form as individuals compete to impose their preferences on the team and to achieve a desired status position.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The status congruence dilemma is the tendency for diversity in groups to make working together more difficult, even though diversity itself expands the skills and perspectives available for problem solving.

Question 5

A general sense of purpose gives general direction to a team, and clearly identified performance objectives make that purpose more attainable.

Question 6

Synergy is a small group of people with complementary skills, who work actively together to achieve a common purpose for which they hold themselves collectively accountable.

Question 7

Social loafing occurs when a person's position within the group is equivalent in status to positions held outside of the group.

Question 8

An essential criterion of a true team is that the team members feel collectively accountable for what they accomplish.

Question 9

High-performance teams have strong core values that help the team members guide their attitudes and behaviors in directions consistent with the team's purpose.

Question 10

It is interesting to note that heart surgeons have higher death rates for similar procedures when performed in hospitals where they do more operations.

Question 11

Even though homogeneous teams may struggle in the short run to resolve issues, they are also likely to develop enhanced performance potential once things are worked out.

Question 12

The social demands of a task involve the degree to which relationships, ego involvement, controversies over goals, and the like come into play.

Question 13

Research finds that, in teams, male-dominated individual intelligence, as opposed to collective intelligence, provides a clear focus for solving problems and resolving conflicts.

Question 14

Tasks that are complex in social demands require unique solutions and more information processing, whereas tasks that are complex in technical demands involve difficulties in reaching agreement on goals or methods for accomplishing them.

Question 15

An effective team is one that achieves high levels of task performance, member satisfaction, and team viability.

Question 16

CEO and founder of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos's simple rule when it comes to the size of a product development team is "No team should be larger than two pizzas can feed."

Question 17

The member satisfaction criterion of team effectiveness means that members continue to work well together on an ongoing basis and look forward to working together again in the future.

Question 18

In the norming stage of team development, holding the team together may become more important to some members than working on the team's tasks.

Question 19

During the forming stage of the team development process, members begin to focus on one another's interpersonal styles.

Question 20

Homogeneous teams have members who are diverse in demography, experiences, lifestyles, and cultures, among other variables.

Question 21

The roles of a group or team represent ideas or beliefs about how members are expected to behave.

Question 22

The last step in the team-building process involves team members working together to evaluate the results.

Question 23

A norm is a set of expectations associated with a job or position on a team.

Question 24

Cohesiveness of a group or team is the degree to which the group or team members are attracted to and motivated to remain a part of the group or team.

Question 25

The performance norm conveys expectations about how hard team members should work and what the team should accomplish.

Question 26

Role conflict occurs when someone is unable to meet the expectations of others.

Question 27

The first step in the team-building process is data gathering and analysis.

Question 28

Role overload occurs when a person is uncertain about his or her role in a job or on a team.

Question 29

The statement "People on this committee are good listeners and actively seek out the ideas and opinions of others" reinforces the negative support and helpfulness norm.

Question 30

The second step in the team-building process involves team members working together and planning for team improvements.

Question 31

The statement "On our team, people always try to work hard" is an example of the positive high-achievement norm.

Question 32

With all the personality issues involved, research finds that the team-building process is not very collaborative.

Question 33

Research in social psychology suggests that the achievement of sustained high performance by groups requires that members' task needs and maintenance needs are met.

Question 34

Collective intelligence is a sequence of planned activities designed to gather and analyze data on the functioning of a group and to initiate changes designed to improve teamwork and increase team effectiveness.

Question 35

Role negotiation is an effective way to deal with teamwork difficulties when they occur or to help prevent them from occurring in the first place.

Question 36

In coping with the challenge of entering a team, tough battlers are those individuals who are frustrated by a lack of identity in the new group and who may act aggressively or reject authority.

Question 37

Maintenance activities directly contribute to the performance of important group tasks.

Question 38

In his studies of how people cope with the challenge of entering a team, Edgar Schein labeled individuals who act in a passive, reflective, and even single-minded manner while struggling with the fit between individual goals and group directions as disruptive entrants.

Question 39

According to Schein, the tough battler is insecure, suffering uncertainties of intimacy and control.

Question 40

Problems regarding participation, goals, control, relationships, and processes are likely to occur in a new team or when new members join existing teams.

Question 41

A team achieves __________ when its members are content with their team tasks, accomplishments, and interpersonal relationships.

A) task performance
B) member commitment
C) member satisfaction
D) team viability
E) team changeability

Question 42

Team cohesiveness tends to be low when members are similar in age, attitudes, needs, and backgrounds.

Question 43

Groupthink can be avoided by having the leader express his or her opinion for a particular course of action.

Question 44

Teams will make decisions by majority rule when all team members agree totally on a course of action.

Question 45

__________ occurs when people work less hard in teams than they would individually.

A) Social inclusion
B) Organizational shirking
C) Individual loafing
D) Organizational evading
E) Social loafing

Question 46

When a team meets its performance goals regarding quantity, quality, and timeliness of work results, it achieves __________.

A) task performance
B) member satisfaction
C) team viability
D) team changeability
E) team excellence

Question 47

The potential advantages of group decision making include social pressure to conform, minority domination, and time delays.

Question 48

To achieve group consensus, dissenting members should get the opportunity to feel that they have been able to speak and that their voices have been heard.

Question 49

Inter-team dynamics are relationships between groups cooperating and competing with one another.

Question 50

A team achieves __________ when the members of a team work well together on an ongoing basis, and when a task is finished, they look forward to working together in future.

A) member satisfaction
B) team endurance
C) team excellence
D) team viability
E) team changeability

Question 51

In decision by unanimity, at least one-third of the team members agree totally on the course of action to be taken.

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT a way team members and leaders help their teams achieve high performance?

A) Putting personal talents to work
B) Building disagreement so that the team gets multiple opinions
C) Persuading others to cooperate
D) Accepting suggestions
E) Communicating ideas

Question 53

When groupthink occurs in highly cohesive groups, poor decisions may result from the members' unwillingness to criticize one another's ideas and suggestions, overemphasis on agreement, desire to hold the group together, underemphasis on critical discussion, and desire to avoid unpleasantries in the group.

Question 54

Teams will make decisions by consensus when discussion leads to one alternative being favored by most members and the others agreeing to support it.

Question 55

The performance advantages of teams over individuals are most evident in all of the following cases EXCEPT when:

A) a conservative decision is required.
B) there is no clear expert for a particular task.
C) problems are complex.
D) diverse skills are required.
E) a sharing of information is required.

Question 56

A positive aspect of intergroup competition is that each group works harder, becomes more cohesive, and develops more loyalty and satisfaction.

Question 57

A key negative aspect of inter-team dynamics is that the members of each team may divert energies toward their mutual animosities rather than on the performance of important tasks.

Question 58

The potential advantages of group decision making by consensus and unanimity include more knowledge and expertise being applied to the problem, more alternatives being considered, greater understanding and acceptance of the final decision, and more commitment among group members to make the final decision work.

Question 59

__________ occurs when team members work together and accomplish more than they ever could by acting alone.

A) An exchange
B) An association
C) Synergy
D) Harmony
E) A union

Question 60

Team cohesiveness tends to decrease when different teams are physically isolated from each other.

Question 61

Which of the following is an example of social facilitation?

A) A team achieves more together than they would have individually.
B) People work less hard in teams than they would individually.
C) An athlete runs faster when running with other athletes than when running alone.
D) A lack of preparedness motivates a novice, nervous speaker to perform better.
E) People work together via computer networks.

Question 62

Which of the following is the correct equation to measure team effectiveness according to the input-process-output model?

A) Team Effectiveness = Quality of Inputs × (Process Gains + Productivity)
B) Team Effectiveness = Quality of Outputs + (Process Gains × Team Inputs)
C) Team Effectiveness = Quality of Inputs × (Process Gains - Process Losses)
D) Team Effectiveness = Quality of Outputs × (Process Gains + Process Losses)
E) Team Effectiveness = Quality of Outputs + (Productivity - Process Losses)

Question 63

Tasks that are complex in __________ require unique solutions and more information processing than other tasks.

A) cognitive demands
B) mechanical demands
C) social demands
D) technical demands
E) psychological demands

Question 64

The input-process-output model of team effectiveness suggests that team effectiveness is influenced by all of the following EXCEPT:

A) inputs.
B) processes.
C) "right players in the right seats."
D) "on the same bus, headed in the same direction."
E) task performance.

Question 65

An immature group will have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:

A) dysfunctional decision-making methods.
B) flexible operating procedures.
C) unclear communications.
D) independent authority relations.
E) low acceptance of minority views.

Question 66

Which of the following statements regarding the norming state of team development is FALSE?

A) The turmoil of the preceding stage gives way to a precarious balancing of forces.
B) Holding the team together may become more important to some members than working on the team's tasks.
C) Minority viewpoints, deviations from group directions, and criticism are welcomed as members experience a preliminary sense of closeness.
D) Team members experience a new sense of harmony.
E) Some team members may mistakenly perceive this stage as one of ultimate maturity.

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT a key team input?

A) The nature of the task
B) Rewards and resources
C) Team composition
D) Member satisfaction
E) Team size

Question 68

Which of the following statements accurately describes the impact of team member competencies on team performance?

A) Talent alone can guarantee performance results.
B) It is relatively easy to overcome the performance limitations imposed by insufficient skills and competencies for the task at hand.
C) To achieve success, a team must have the right skills and competencies available for task performance.
D) In homogeneous teams, members are very different and bring the needed diversity in skill sets to the team.
E) The difficulties of heterogeneity are especially pronounced in the long run.

Question 69

What is the ideal number of members to have in a team?

A) One to two
B) Two to four
C) Four to five
D) Five to seven
E) Eight to ten

Question 70

The final stage in the team development process is known as the __________ stage.

A) adjourning
B) performing
C) dismissal
D) maturation
E) disbanding

Question 71

Which of the following statements about the performing stage of team development is INCORRECT?

A) The team is able to deal with complex tasks and handle internal disagreements in creative ways.
B) The team structure is unstable.
C) Members are motivated by team goals and are generally satisfied.
D) The primary team challenges are continued efforts to improve relationships and performance.
E) Team members are able to adapt successfully as opportunities and demands change over time.

Question 72

During which stage of team development does hostility and infighting occur in a team and the team typically experiences many changes?

A) The forming stage
B) The storming stage
C) The norming stage
D) The performing stage
E) The adjourning stage

Question 73

Which of the following statements regarding the storming stage of team development is INCORRECT?

A) Hostility and infighting occur if the team is ineffective.
B) The team typically experiences many changes, and coalitions or cliques may form.
C) Members' expectations tend to be clarified, and attention shifts toward obstacles standing in the way of team goals.
D) Individuals begin to understand one another's interpersonal styles.
E) Efforts are made to find ways to accomplish team goals while satisfying individual needs.

Question 74

In the __________ stage of team development, the primary concern is the initial entry of members to the team.

A) forming
B) storming
C) norming
D) performing
E) adjourning

Question 75

The five stages of team development include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) the forming stage.
B) the norming stage.
C) the adjourning stage.
D) the journeying stage.
E) the storming stage.

Question 76

During what stage of team development may a team member ask, "What can the group offer me? Can my needs be met at the same time that I contribute to the group?"

A) Storming
B) Forming
C) Performing
D) Adjourning
E) Norming

Question 77

The __________ demands of a team's task include the degree to which it is routine or not, the level of difficulty involved, and the nature of the information requirements.

A) cognitive
B) mechanical
C) social
D) technical
E) psychological

Question 78

If you are asked to describe the correct sequence of the stages of team development, which of these should you pick?

A) Introduction, growth, settling in, maturation, and dismissal
B) Start-up, growth, leveling off, settling in, and disbanding
C) Forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning
D) Launch, growth, leveling off, maturing, and decline
E) Introduction, orientation, settling in, maturation, and decline

Question 79

Which demands of a team's task involve relationships, ego, controversies over goals, and the like?

A) Cognitive demands
B) Mechanical demands
C) Social demands
D) Technical demands
E) Psychological demands

Question 80

Team performance is NOT in danger of suffering when:

A) goals are unclear.
B) rewards are too focused on individual-level accomplishments.
C) resources are inefficient to accomplish the task.
D) goals are easy to achieve.
E) goals are well designed.