Deck 17: Leadership, Teamwork, and Conflict

Question 1

Research on leadership indicates that project managers often must be:

A) supportive, facilitative, encouraging
B) directive and task-oriented
C) either or both, depending on the situation

Answer 1

either or both, depending on the situation

Question 2

Which of the following best describes "participative management" in project management?

A) sharing decision making and delegating responsibility to those skilled enough and willing to accept it
B) providing specific instructions and close supervision of tasks
C) allowing workers to make all decisions and take full responsibility for meeting project goals
D) any of the above, depending on the situation

Answer 2

sharing decision making and delegating responsibility to those skilled enough and willing to accept it

Question 3

In team building, the role of the consultant is to:

A) diagnose group problems and tell the group how to fix them
B) help the group itself to discover and resolve its problems
C) inform the team leader about who is unhappy or is causing trouble in the group
D) any or all of the above, it depends

Answer 3

help the group itself to discover and resolve its problems

Question 4

In projects, conflict frequently occurs between:

A) functional groups
B) users and contractors
C) project and functional managers
D) all of these

Question 5

In projects, it is generally more constructive to look at interpersonal conflict as:

A) arising from a violation of peoples' expectations of each other
B) arising from personalities so incompatible that people cannot possibly deal with each other
C) a fact of life that is inevitable, whether we like it or not

Question 6

How much stress a person feels largely depends on:

A) the person's ability to cope with stress
B) factors causing stress in the work and the environment
C) self-imposed factors (aggressive/competitive personality)
D) all of these

Question 7

According to Vaill, high performing teams (circle all that apply):

A) have a clear sense of priorities about what is to be done
B) devote extraordinary amounts of time to their work
C) are better paid than other teams
D) deeply care about the purpose of the team
E) work in environments that are comfortable and aesthetically pleasing

Question 8

Which of the following are usually considered "group process issues" (circle all that apply):

A) handling group conflict
B) making group decisions
C) preparing a project plan and budget
D) ensuring everyone in the group is heard
E) compiling a user's manual
F) working with users to clarify system requirements
G) clarifying the roles of team members

Question 9

Which of the following are usually not part of the team building process (circle all that apply):

A) diagnostic questionnaires and interviews are employed
B) the entire team meets at an off-site location
C) peoples' comments and complaints, with the names of the people who gave them, are shared with everyone
D) a third party helps facilitate the workshop
E) the workshop emphasis is as much on "what" the group is working on as "how" it is working
F) the workshop ends after all the problems and complaints have been heard
G) the team building process is completed when the workshop is over

Question 10

Team building is appropriate in which situations (circle all that apply):

A) an existing team adds several new members
B) a new project team is being formed
C) a team member is having personal problems
D) a project is cancelled and the team is disbanded
E) an existing team is experiencing excessive conflict and having trouble making decisions.

Question 11

Some conditions necessary for team building to succeed are (circle all that apply):

A) the team is having serious problems getting work done
B) team members are highly competitive with each other
C) team members are open and honest with each other
D) management supports team building and is willing, if needed, to help
E) team members are willing to work toward solutions
F) team members have strong verbal and interpersonal skills.

Question 12

Some of the things that a new team should do include (circle all that apply):

A) allow members to discuss their priorities and expectations
B) make sure everyone likes each other
C) clarify the purpose of the team and the roles of its members
D) formulate guidelines so everyone will know how they will make decisions, assign work, etc.
E) get rid of people who have ideas different from everyone else
F) use Roberts Rules of Order whenever the team meets.

Question 13

In intergroup problem solving, teams (circle all that apply):

A) share their perceptions of each other
B) work toward agreement on mutual problems
C) try to determine how they can do the work without having to interact
D) get suggestions so each one can solve its own, internal problems.

Question 14

When conflict does occur in projects, the major sources are (circle all that apply):

A) schedules
B) worker pay and benefits
C) priorities
D) labor and resource requirements
E) personalities

Question 15

Among the useful ways for resolving conflict in projects are (circle all that apply):

A) use the project manager's authority to force a resolution
B) use the role analysis technique to reduce ambiguity about responsibilities
C) have teams share their expectations and develop a joint plan to work together
D) pretend there are no disagreements and try to finish the task before the conflict gets worse

Question 16

Likely sources of stress in projects are (circle all that apply):

A) having too much work to do in the available time
B) constantly having too little work to do or too little responsibility
C) ambiguity over what is expected in the job
D) being highly paid and not feeling worthy of it
E) working with abrasive leaders and coworkers
F) constantly working on projects that are located far from home

Question 17

Some actions a project manager can take to help reduce the stress workers feel on a project are (circle all that apply):

A) paying workers extra for working overtime and weekends
B) planning and scheduling project work to reduce periods of overload
C) fostering competition between project workers
D) being supportive and understanding of workers
E) allowing teams to uncover sources of stress and to work toward ways of reducing stress on the job

Question 18

When managing a virtual meeting, the meeting leader should (check all that apply)

A) Require that everyone in the team attend all meetings.
B) Prepare a meeting agenda and distribute it at the start of the meeting.
C) To save time, avoid small talk and immediately get down to business.
D) At audio (voice) conferences, always announce who is talking.
E) Allow people to participate in the meeting according to their comfort level (it's okay if they choose not to talk or participate).
F) Allow the meeting to pace itself, depending on the agenda.
G) Use formal titles (Mr., Dr., Mrs., etc.) to show respect.
H) Remind people during the meeting of the time remaining.
I) Check often that everyone is staying with the agenda.
J) When meetings are not conducted in the team's native language, provide breaks for them organize their thoughts.
K) Try to provide a meeting summary or meeting minutes within a few weeks of the meeting.

Question 19

Statement: A relations-oriented leadership style is the most effective style for all situations.

Question 20

Statement: Working in projects is naturally stimulating and provides a sense of achievement, so there is seldom a need to motivate workers or tell them what to do.

Question 21

Statement: Most project work is done by skilled people who work independently of everyone else.

Question 22

Statement: Team building is applied only in situations where, in some sense, a group of people must work together as a team.

Question 23

Statement: In team building, follow-up sessions are only held when there is not enough time to finish the action plan during the workshop.

Question 24

Statement: Intergroup problem solving is applicable as a means of confrontation between two or more groups that must work together.

Question 25

Statement: Conflict in projects can originate in the project contract.

Question 26

Statement: It is important to address conflict because the consequences of it are always bad, though in most projects, instances of conflict are rare.

Question 27

Statement: Conflict is detrimental and should be avoided or smoothed over whenever possible.

Question 28

Statement: Generally the most effective way to resolve conflict is to squarely confront it.

Question 29

Statement: Although stress often affects people in projects, stress is common in life, too, and project managers should not be concerned with it.

Question 30

Statement: A project manager can sometimes use the amount of stress she is feeling as a barometer for how much stress the project is causing others.