Deck 7: Groups and Teamwork

Question 1

Connie Gersick's research resulted in which of the following?

A)Typical stages of group development
B)Punctuated equilibrium model
C)Model of the role assumption process
D)Model of group cohesiveness
E)Model of factors that influence work group effectiveness

Answer 1

B

Question 2

At what stage during group development does conflict often emerge?

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

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The punctuated equilibrium theory of group development has five phases.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

________ refers to the characteristics of the stable social organization of a group.

Question 5

All groups go through the typical stages of group development.

Question 6

The concept of punctuated equilibrium applies to groups without deadlines.

Question 7

You have been assigned a group project in your organizational behaviour course.You have six weeks to complete it.When will the midpoint transition occur?

A)At about one week
B)At about two weeks
C)At about three weeks
D)At about four weeks
E)At about five weeks

Question 8

The punctuated equilibrium model only works for groups that successfully manage the midpoint transition.

Question 9

Conflict is particularly likely to develop during the norming stage of group development.

Question 10

Temporarily organized groups that are formed to achieve particular goals or solve particular problems are called

A)work groups.
B)task forces.
C)committees.
D)informal groups.
E)self-managed teams.

Question 11

During which stage of group development is conflict likely to develop?

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

Question 12

Identify the proper sequence of group development activities.

A)Forming, norming, storming, performing, adjourning
B)Forming, storming, performing, norming, adjourning
C)Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
D)Norming, forming, storming, performing, adjourning
E)Storming, forming, norming, performing, adjourning

Question 13

In the punctuated equilibrium model of group development,a critical point occurs

A)when the group enters the storming stage.
B)at the midpoint of the group's allotted time until deadline.
C)at the midpoint of the volume of work that has to be accomplished.
D)at the middle of Phase 1.
E)towards the end of Phase 2.

Question 14

According to behavioural scientists

A)groups have at least five members.
B)group members have a common goal and interact with each other.
C)group members must interact face-to-face.
D)informal groups are shown on organizational charts.
E)members of larger groups tend to report higher levels of satisfaction.

Question 15

What did Connie Gersick study to learn about the development of groups?

A)Workers at Federal Express improving billing accuracy and reducing lost packages
B)Student groups doing class projects
C)Sales teams at UPS that sell and deliver products and services
D)Teams at Rubbermaid that invent and design innovative household products
E)A team at Thermos that invented an ecologically friendly electric barbecue grill

Question 16

The hierarchy of most organizations is a series of informal,interlocked work groups.

Question 17

In the stage model of group development,conflict is a particular problem

A)in the stage before norming.
B)in the forming stage.
C)in the adjourning stage.
D)in the stage after norming.
E)in the performing stage.

Question 18

By definition,a group has at least ________ members.

Question 19

The proper sequence of group development activities is forming,storming,norming,performing,adjourning.

Question 20

In the punctuated equilibrium model of group development,the midpoint transition occurs

A)when half the group's time is elapsed.
B)when half the group's work is done.
C)at the beginning of Phase 1.
D)at the end of Phase 2.
E)as the group enters the storming stage.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is most indicative of a process loss?

A)As the task force got bigger, it encountered more coordination problems.
B)Bill forgot how to program FORTRAN computer language because he hadn't used it in ten years.
C)Nan experienced role conflict when her boss told her to do something that she felt was unethical.
D)Zeke worked harder when his colleagues were present than when he was alone.
E)Carly was clearly the star of the group and they could not have completed the project on time without her participation.

Question 22

On which task is the presence of only one poor performer most likely to damage group performance?

A)Conjunctive
B)Disjunctive
C)Reflexive
D)Additive
E)Complexive

Question 23

Diverse groups tend to develop more ________ than less diverse groups.

A)roles
B)poorly
C)quickly
D)slowly
E)loyalty norms

Question 24

One reason for members reporting less satisfaction in larger groups is

A)they have more time to develop friendships with other group members.
B)individual members can identify less easily with the success of the group.
C)opportunities for participation increase in larger groups.
D)conflict and dissension are less likely in larger groups.
E)people are less inhibited about participating in larger groups.

Question 25

You have just formed a group as a part of a class assignment to complete a group project.You want to make sure that it follows the different stages of group development.What are the different stages of group development and what should happen at each stage?

Question 26

As a group performing an additive task gets bigger

A)process losses decrease.
B)the average productivity per member decreases.
C)group cohesiveness should increase.
D)potential group productivity decreases.
E)the performance of the best member becomes more critical to group success.

Question 27

Which of the following type of group can enhance team creativity and innovation?

A)Self-managed
B)Informal
C)Cohesive
D)Diverse
E)Cross-functional

Question 28

Which of the following equations is accurate?

A)Potential performance = actual performance + process losses
B)Process losses = potential performance + actual performance
C)Potential performance = actual performance - process losses
D)Actual performance = potential performance - process losses
E)Process performance = actual performance - process losses

Question 29

Distinguish between formal and informal work groups in organizations.Give an example of each.

Question 30

Describe the five stages of group development.At which stage is conflict most likely to emerge?

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of process loss?

A)No one in the group could remember how to work the video machine.
B)Because the group was so large, communication became a problem.
C)After losing the game, the team was much less cohesive.
D)After they failed to land the big contract, the status of the sales staff decreased.
E)The source of the quality problems could have originated in any one of three separate departments.

Question 32

You have just formed a group as a part of a class assignment to complete a group project.You have four weeks to complete the project and present it to the class.What can you tell the other group members about how the group will develop and how they should proceed? What advice will you give them?

Question 33

The group had trouble coordinating its efforts because it was so big.This is an example of

A)a conjunctive task.
B)social loafing.
C)a process loss.
D)role ambiguity.
E)punctuated equilibrium.

Question 34

A television news team consists of a reporter,a camera operator,and a sound technician.Their job is to get good news reports to the station in time to make the evening news.A bad story,a bad picture,or bad sound means they have failed.This is a(n)________ task.

A)additive
B)disjunctive
C)conjunctive
D)reflexive
E)complexive

Question 35

A group performing a disjunctive task will perform at the level of

A)its best member.
B)its worst member.
C)the average performance of all its members.
D)the member who is most friendly to other members.
E)the relative process loss.

Question 36

As a group size increases

A)members become less inhibited about participating in group activities.
B)members become more satisfied with group membership.
C)the group consistently performs better.
D)the time available for verbal participation by each member decreases.
E)performance on conjunctive tasks improves.

Question 37

The relationship between group size and group ________ is particularly complex and highly contingent upon the task being performed.

A)cohesiveness
B)member participation
C)member satisfaction
D)performance
E)norms

Question 38

What is group cohesiveness and what factors influence cohesiveness?

Question 39

Tasks that depend on the performance of the best group member's performance are

A)disjunctive.
B)conjunctive.
C)injunctive.
D)reflexive.
E)complexive.

Question 40

Which of the following is an additive task for a group?

A)Picking grapes at harvest
B)Passing water buckets along a human chain
C)Writing a short story
D)Working in a self-managed group
E)Looking for a single error in a complicated computer program

Question 41

On a conjunctive task,the presence of an especially strong group member can compensate for a weak group member.

Question 42

Actual group performance equals potential performance minus ________.

Question 43

"One weak link in the chain" severely damages a group's performance on a(n)________ task.

Question 44

Disjunctive tasks depend on the performance of the best group member.

Question 45

When working on a ________ task the potential performance of a group depends on the performance of its best member.

Question 46

The Stinky Cheese Company has decided to form work teams in all of their plants.They are most concerned about team creativity and innovation.What type of teams should they use?

A)Self-managed teams
B)Virtual teams
C)Cohesive teams
D)Diverse teams
E)Cross-functional teams

Question 47

A sequential assembly line type of task is an example of a conjunctive task.

Question 48

Large groups promote greater member satisfaction than small groups.

Question 49

On an additive task,the presence of an especially strong group member can compensate for a weak group member.

Question 50

Many examples of "whistle-blowing" are signals of

A)person-role conflict.
B)role ambiguity.
C)inter-role conflict.
D)intersender role conflict.
E)intrasender role conflict.

Question 51

For a(n)________ task,the potential performance of the group equals the sum of the individual members' performances.

Question 52

The self-managed work teams at Excelsior Widgets were so large that confusion and poor coordination existed within every team.This is an example of a process loss.

Question 53

Which of the following can badly damage cohesiveness in diverse groups?

A)Deep diversity
B)Surface diversity
C)Age
D)Gender
E)Race

Question 54

Surface diversity can badly damage group cohesiveness.

Question 55

On disjunctive tasks,potential group performance should depend on the performance of the best member.

Question 56

Once they develop,more and less diverse groups can be equally cohesive and productive.

Question 57

As group size increases,the time available for verbal participation by each member increases.

Question 58

One of the members of Jim's self-managed work team had forgotten how to use Excel.This is an example of a process loss.

Question 59

Process losses damage group performance.

Question 60

Potential group performance minus process losses equals actual group performance.

Question 61

Robin is a member of a task force that may do away with her own department.Robin is most obviously experiencing

A)intrasender role conflict.
B)person-role conflict.
C)interrole conflict.
D)role ambiguity.
E)intersender role conflict.

Question 62

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)The "class clown" fills an emergent role in his or her school.
B)People with similar attitudes are less likely to form a group than those with different attitudes.
C)A group has at least three members.
D)Moving a heavy crate is a disjunctive task.
E)Equity norms allocate rewards equally to everyone in the group.

Question 63

Janice thought that her summer job as a municipal garbage collector would be easy.Unfortunately,her supervisor tells her to do one thing one day and the exact opposite the next day.Janice's role ambiguity

A)is inherent in the job she performs.
B)stems from a role sender.
C)stems from the social facilitation effect.
D)is a function of intersender role conflict.
E)is a function of person-role conflict.

Question 64

________ groups have a more difficult time communicating effectively and becoming cohesive.

Question 65

The members of a work group are paid a group bonus according to the productivity of the group.Because of this,each member expects the other to perform at the highest level.This expectation is an example of which aspect of group structure?

A)Status
B)Cohesiveness
C)A norm
D)A role
E)A disjunctive task

Question 66

A manager recommends an employee for a promotion because the employee stood up for the manager during a leadership crisis.Which reward allocation norm led the superior to recommend this employee for promotion?

A)Reciprocity
B)Equity
C)Equality
D)Social responsibility
E)Performance

Question 67

Which aspect of group structure most closely reflects the way members evaluate each other?

A)Size
B)Roles
C)Norms
D)Status
E)Diversity

Question 68

Which of the following statements about norms is TRUE?

A)A person can have his or her own private, personal norm.
B)Norms are generally unrelated to attitudes.
C)Norms are not an aspect of group structure.
D)Norms cannot be targeted at a specific individual.
E)Normative influence is often unconscious.

Question 69

Higher status group members ________ than lower status members.

A)are addressed more frequently
B)have more influence
C)communicate more
D)participate more
E)all of the above

Question 70

Which of the following statements about status is TRUE?

A)Informal status in the organization is more likely than formal status to carry over into the community.
B)In most organizations, formal and informal status systems are equivalent.
C)All organizations have both formal and informal status systems.
D)In organizations, status symbols are more a part of the informal status system than the formal status system.
E)Most organizations try not to tie status symbols to assigned roles.

Question 71

The most basic structural characteristics along which groups vary are size and ________.

Question 72

Which of the following statements about status and communication is TRUE?

A)Lower-status members do more talking.
B)Most people like to communicate with others at their own status or lower.
C)Communication has a tendency to move down the status hierarchy.
D)Status has very little relation to communication in organizations.
E)People can be inhibited from communicating upward if status differences are large.

Question 73

Who is experiencing interrole conflict?

A)Jack is vice-president of sales and marketing.
B)The straw boss on the construction job was unsure if he was a worker or a supervisor.
C)The head of engineering told Jan to do one thing, and the head of design told her to do the opposite.
D)The plant manager debated in his mind whether he should open the valve and risk polluting the environment.
E)Michael's boss told him to relax as he handed him another report to finish by the end of the day.

Question 74

Darlene is a physician who is employed as the director of research for a large drug company.She often worries that her actions as a manager could possibly violate the physicians' code of professional conduct.This is most clearly an example of ________ conflict.

A)person-role
B)intrasender
C)intersender
D)interrole
E)role ambiguity

Question 75

The boss who constantly changes his mind can cause uncertainty for an employee.To put this another way

A)intrasender role conflict can cause role ambiguity.
B)role ambiguity can cause intersender role conflict.
C)person-role conflict can cause role ambiguity.
D)role ambiguity can cause interrole conflict.
E)intersender role conflict can cause interrole conflict.

Question 76

Lisa is a very religious person whose boss tells her to offer an illegal bribe to a government official to obtain a lucrative contract.What kind of role conflict is she experiencing?

A)Person-role
B)Interrole
C)Intrasender
D)Intersender
E)Role ambiguity

Question 77

Explain the difference between additive tasks,disjunctive tasks,and conjunctive tasks.Give an example of each.

Question 78

The workforce petitioned management to be paid on an individual piece rate basis.Which reward allocation norm do the workers favour?

A)Social responsibility
B)Equality
C)Equity
D)Reciprocity
E)Loyalty

Question 79

Which of the following types of role conflict is most likely to provoke role ambiguity?

A)Intrasender role conflict
B)Intersender role conflict
C)Interrole conflict
D)Person-role conflict
E)Status-role conflict

Question 80

Positions in a group that have attached to them a set of expected behaviours are called

A)roles.
B)norms.
C)status symbols.
D)attributes.
E)conjunctive tasks.