Deck 7: Groups and Teams

Question 1

Tightly formed teams may become overconfident and reduce their communication with other teams in the organization.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Quality circles can be permanent work groups.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The use of teams can eliminate redundant layers of bureaucracy and flatten the hierarchy on a company.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Team bonus plans are similar to gain-sharing plans in that the unit of performance used for pay is the entire organization.

Question 5

Gain-sharing programs usually reward all team members from all teams based on the performance of one particular team.

Question 6

Implementing teams in organizations is not easy; it takes a lot of hard work, time, training, and patience.

Question 7

A task group is relatively temporary and formal.

Question 8

Teams can reduce the degree of stress that employees experience on the job.

Question 9

A command group is a type of informal group.

Question 10

Skill-based pay systems require team members to acquire important skills that affect compensation.

Question 11

Virtual teams usually utilize some form of technology to enhance communication among individuals who are members of the team.

Question 12

Teams do not usually take a great deal of time to develop, which is one of the advantages of using teams in companies.

Question 13

Teams usually require different types of skills to be effective.

Question 14

Change starts at the top in every successful team implementation.

Question 15

Management teams are teams that may never actually meet together in the same room, but instead rely on teleconferencing and other electronic information systems.

Question 16

Having a common purpose and common performance goals sets the tone and direction of a virtual team.

Question 17

Implementation of self-managing work teams often takes less than six months.

Question 18

Problem-solving teams are permanent teams that make recommendations for others to implement.

Question 19

The collection of people who attend a class together could be called a group.

Question 20

In the reality and unrest phase of team implementation, team members and managers often report frustration and confusion about the new situation.

Question 21

The basic group performance factors include groupthink, social loafing, and norm creation.

Question 22

In most situations, the most effective group size is 30 or more members because more ideas are generated.

Question 23

A heterogeneous group is more likely to be productive when the task is complex, requires a collective effort, and demands creativity.

Question 24

Teams differ from groups in that teams

A) place more emphasis on concerted action than groups do.
B) are usually larger than groups.
C) are usually temporary.
D) place little emphasis on common objectives.
E) pursue multiple goals.

Question 25

Getting to know one another is part of the mutual acceptance stage of group development.

Question 26

A friendship group often performs its duties outside of regular work hours.

Question 27

Increasing group interaction will not usually affect the cohesiveness of the group.

Question 28

A homogeneous group is likely to be more productive when the group task is simple, cooperation is necessary, the group tasks are sequential, and quick action is required.

Question 29

A group norm is a standard against which the appropriateness of a behavior is judged.

Question 30

Some groups fail to complete certain stages of development before moving on to later stages.

Question 31

Social loafing is the tendency of some group members to put forth high levels of effort, which ultimately reduces self-policing.

Question 32

Cohesiveness is generally higher in small groups than it is in large groups.

Question 33

Compared with managers from other countries, U.S.managers like to make decisions cautiously and with extensive analysis.

Question 34

Highly cohesive groups will be more productive for the organization than groups with low cohesiveness.

Question 35

A team is characterized by all of the following except

A) complementary skills.
B) profit motive.
C) mutual accountability.
D) small number of people.
E) commitment to a common purpose.

Question 36

A group is homogenous if the members are similar in one or more ways that are critical to the work of the group.

Question 37

Communication in Western cultures is typically indirect and vague.

Question 38

Group norms are developed in the control and organization stage of group development.

Question 39

All groups go through all four stages of group development before disbanding.

Question 40

Group productivity depends on successful growth at each stage of the group development process.

Question 41

Which of the following is not an example of an organizational enhancement arising from team environments?

A) Taller organizational hierarchy
B) Quicker reaction
C) Increased innovation
D) Higher creativity
E) Improved flexibility

Question 42

Which of the following is not an example of cost reductions arising from team environments?

A) Reduced absenteeism
B) Reduced scrap
C) Lower turnover
D) Fewer errors
E) Lower commitment

Question 43

The primary job of ____ is to create new products, processes, or businesses.

A) interdisciplinary teams
B) quality circles
C) problem-solving teams
D) work teams
E) venture teams

Question 44

Which of the following statements best reflects the costs of teams to organizations?

A) The increased bureaucracy
B) The loss of creativity
C) The difficulty of changing to a team-based organization
D) Increased worker compensation claims
E) Increased distance between employees and top management

Question 45

The positive benefits of a team-based environment include all of the following except

A) enhanced performance.
B) employee benefits.
C) organizational enhancements.
D) reduced costs.
E) all of these are benefits

Question 46

____ is a reward system commonly found in team environments.

A) Skill-based pay
B) Stock options
C) Commission-based pay
D) Annual profit sharing
E) Seniority-based pay

Question 47

William is a member of a small group of employees from different work areas.They meet once each week to discuss and recommend solutions to workplace problems.This group is most likely a(n)

A) problem-solving team
B) interdisciplinary team
C) work team
D) management team
E) quality circle

Question 48

When choosing team members, which of the following abilities would you NOT specifically look for?

A) persuasiveness
B) conflict resolution
C) collaborative problem-solving
D) self-management
E) communication

Question 49

Why do younger workers seem to benefit from team environments?

A) Supervision in teams is increased.
B) Workers receive higher wages in team environments.
C) Individuals receive more recognition in team environments.
D) Teams give them freedom to grow and manage themselves.
E) Teams increase employees' respect for authority.

Question 50

The move towards a team-based format is often initiated and communicated to the entire organization by​

A) internal team leaders.
B) the design team.
C) top management.
D) affinity groups.
E) an outside consultant.

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT a strategy for dealing with the challenges of multicultural teams?

A) one-on-one conferencing
B) adaptation
C) managerial intervention
D) exit
E) structural intervention

Question 52

________ happens when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image

A) Managerial intervention
B) Social facilitation
C) Groupthink
D) Social loafing
E) Group cohesiveness

Question 53

What is (are) the new role(s) of managers in teams?

A) Supervisors and evaluators
B) Top managers
C) Team members
D) Technical specialists
E) Coaches and facilitators

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT an important leadership skill in a virtual project team or distance management situation?

A) Building community among team members based on mutual trust, respect, affiliation, and fairness.
B) Leading with directness and focusing on abstract results.
C) Establishing a clear and motivating shared vision.
D) Communicating effectively and matching technology to the situation.
E) Coordinating and collaborating across organizational boundaries.

Question 55

A team ____________ is a written agreement among team members establishing ground rules about the team's processes, roles, and responsibilities.

A) outline
B) commitment
C) contract
D) agreement
E) quality circle

Question 56

The cost of teams includes which of the following factors?

A) the difficulty of changing to a team-based organization.
B) an increase in innovation and creativity.
C) adverse impact on the bottom line.
D) increased social loafing.
E) decreased groupthink.

Question 57

A team that never actually meets together in the same room is called a

A) virtual team.
B) quality circle.
C) cross-functional team.
D) product development team.
E) management team.

Question 58

What is the best reason to create teams in an organization?

A) They can increase productivity almost immediately.
B) Teams are always well received by employees.
C) Teams are increasing in popularity.
D) The competition is also implementing teams.
E) Teams make sense for that organization.

Question 59

A team that is comprised of members from different departments or functional areas is a(n)

A) interdisciplinary team.
B) work team.
C) cross-functional team.
D) problem-solving team.
E) quality circle.

Question 60

Why does working in teams result in enhanced performance?

A) Waste and errors are spread across multiple individuals.
B) Managers lower their performance standards.
C) Team members spend less time in direct contact with customers.
D) Teams pool individual efforts in new ways and strive for continuous improvement.
E) Taller hierarchies improve communication processes.

Question 61

A new product development team is an example of which type of group?

A) Friendship
B) Interest
C) Performance
D) Task
E) Affinity

Question 62

____ are usually temporary and are established to solve a particular problem.

A) Friendship groups
B) Task groups
C) Affinity groups
D) Interest groups
E) Command groups

Question 63

____ are informal and organized around a particular activity.

A) Friendship groups
B) Interest groups
C) Command groups
D) All groups
E) Task groups

Question 64

The two essential issues that must not be overlooked when implementing teams are

A) team performance and top management support.
B) implementation and team performance.
C) starting at the top and member loyalty.
D) team performance and team motivation.
E) team motivation and reward systems.

Question 65

A(n) _______ is a person who engages in leadership activities but whose right to do so has not been formally recognized.

A) team manager
B) team specialist
C) executive
D) informal leader
E) none of the above

Question 66

The concept of ____ is essential to the definition of groups presented in your text.

A) interaction
B) coordination
C) cohesion
D) member personality
E) proximity

Question 67

Which of the following is a formal group?

A) Interest
B) Friendship
C) Social
D) Command
E) Grapevine

Question 68

In the ____ phase of team implementation, enthusiasm runs high and the anticipation of employees is quite positive.

A) self-managing teams
B) start-up
C) leader-centered teams
D) tightly formed teams
E) reality and unrest

Question 69

A group of department managers who meet periodically to establish corporate policy is an example of which type of group?

A) Special project
B) Friendship
C) Task
D) Interest
E) Command

Question 70

During the ____ phase of team implementation, managers have withdrawn from the daily operations and are counseling teams.

A) tightly formed teams
B) start-up
C) leader-centered teams
D) self-managing teams
E) reality and unrest

Question 71

Susan is the senior manager at her company.Susan made the choice to go to teams because she went to a seminar on teams, but she'll be on a two-year foreign assignment when teams are actually implemented.Which of the following is likely to occur?

A) The teams will be performing well by the time she returns.
B) The teams will be more broad spread than normal.
C) The teams will become self-managing more quickly than normal.
D) A complete organizational culture revolution is likely to occur.
E) The teams are likely to fail.

Question 72

The start-up phase of team implementation includes which of the following?

A) Frustration and confusion about the new situation
B) Extreme confidence and cohesion
C) Intense team loyalty
D) Teams think of themselves as a unit
E) Informational or "awareness" training

Question 73

During the ____ phase of team implementation, managers should provide encouragement, monitor performance, and sometimes protect teams from those who want to see the team fail.

A) self-managing teams
B) tightly formed teams
C) leader-centered teams
D) reality and unrest
E) start-up

Question 74

The definition of groups presented in your text omits any requirement of

A) interaction.
B) size.
C) influence.
D) group goals.
E) All of these are included in the textbook definition of group.

Question 75

During the ____ phase of team implementation, a team's internal focus can become detrimental to other teams and to the organization as a whole.

A) start-up
B) reality and unrest
C) tightly formed teams
D) leader-center teams
E) self-managing teams

Question 76

The audience at an Oprah Winfrey talk show is an example of a(n) ____ group.

A) special project
B) command
C) task
D) friendship
E) interest

Question 77

Videoconferencing, instant messaging, electric meetings, and even conference calls are considered __________ technology.

A) asynchronous
B) futuristic
C) team-specific
D) ineffective
E) synchronous

Question 78

Shortly after implementation, team performance often ____ before returning to previous levels.

A) fluctuates unpredictably
B) ceases completely
C) increases slightly
D) declines
E) dramatically increases

Question 79

During the ____ phase of team implementation, teams usually long for a system that resembles the old organizational structure.

A) tightly formed teams
B) start-up
C) leader-centered teams
D) self-managing teams
E) reality and unrest

Question 80

The size or number of people that constitute a group is

A) ten or more.
B) limited to fifteen.
C) fewer than two people.
D) limited to ten.
E) two or more.