Deck 11: Managing Work Groups: Teamwork, Morale and Counseling

Question 1

Members of a cohesive work group enjoy their group affiliation.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A team can be successful without working together to achieve individual and team objectives.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A group that organizes a company softball tournament is an example of a special-interest group.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Employee morale reflects how effectively a supervisor is performing his or her managerial responsibilities.

Question 5

Although they are rarely together, virtual teams must meet face-to-face at least once each month.

Question 6

Katzenbach and Smith found that small work teams of ten members or fewer are more likely to be effective than larger work teams.

Question 7

A command group is a group of employees according to the authority relationships on the formal organization chart.

Question 8

If a worker is part of a command group, then that worker cannot be a member of another group.

Question 9

A cross-functional team is an example of a command group.

Question 10

The effectiveness of work groups is tied directly to the amount of diversity among the members' personal characteristics.

Question 11

Employee attitudes and morale can sometimes be shaped significantly by one's fellow workers.

Question 12

A cross-functional team consists of employees from many different departments or specialties throughout the organization.

Question 13

Highly effective teams are always supporting and encouraging of one another.

Question 14

Workplace spirituality basically means ensuring that all employees are strongly religious.

Question 15

Morale helps achieve teamwork, therefore, there cannot be high levels of teamwork in a work team if morale is low.

Question 16

The Hawthorne Studies supports the adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same".

Question 17

A supervisor cannot order an employee to improve his or her morale.

Question 18

Morale influences outside the organization are generally beyond a supervisor's control.

Question 19

Specific and realistic objectives make individual employees more effective, but hinder the performance of work teams.

Question 20

In recent years, employee morale is believed to have risen due to employers becoming increasingly trustworthy and loyal to their employees.

Question 21

Attitude surveys and morale surveys differ in many ways, but look to achieve the same thing.

Question 22

"Survivor's syndrome" refers to the joy and relief workers feel when they realize that they have not lost their jobs due to a downsizing.

Question 23

Aside from referring an employee to some source of assistance there is nothing else the supervisor can do to cope with the factors affecting an employee's morale.

Question 24

Coaching is when the supervisor tries to identify an employee's personal problems that may be the cause of performance problems.

Question 25

Strong's Bakery has seven employees; therefore, the provisions of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) do not apply to this company.

Question 26

Supervisors can sometimes easily fix complaints that come to light in employee attitude surveys.

Question 27

In recent years, workplace violence has increased dramatically.

Question 28

Organizational development (OD) is also known as team building or process consultation.

Question 29

In order for an employee assistance program (EAP) to be effective, the supervisor should not get involved once the EAP is handling the situation.

Question 30

The supervisor plays a key role in coordinating efforts throughout the company to prevent workplace violence.

Question 31

The supervisor's main role as counselor is to help the employee get his or her life back together.

Question 32

Workplace accidents have nothing to do with possible employee morale problems.

Question 33

Employee morale will likely decline if needed changes are not made after an attitude survey has been conducted.

Question 34

If Anna asks to meet with her supervisor, Terri, for a counseling interview, it is important for Terri to be empathetic and encouraging during the interview.

Question 35

An exit interview is an interview conducted with individuals when they leave a firm. Its purpose is to assess morale and reasons for employee turnover.

Question 36

The HR department at Allied Manufacturing started a lunchtime walking club for its employees. This is an example of a wellness program that helps employees stay healthy and reduce employer health costs.

Question 37

Increasingly, companies are developing paid time off programs where employees can use their accrued time off for personal reasons rather than solely for illnesses or vacations.

Question 38

Studies of workplace violence have shown that the victims usually do not know their assailants.

Question 39

One technique to assess employee morale is through an attitude survey.

Question 40

Workplace downsizing has not negatively influenced employee morale because only the "bad apples" have been let go; companies always retain positive-thinking employees.

Question 41

All of the following are characteristics of a counselor EXCEPT:

A) Provide relationship advice.
B) Good listener.
C) Provides guidance.
D) Provides encouragement.

Question 42

When Mason Automotive Supply asked employees from a number of departments, such as marketing, finance, technology, sales, human resources and production, to come together to accomplish a particular task, it was an example of a:

A) Command group.
B) Special-interest group.
C) Task group.
D) Friendship group.

Question 43

Morale is best defined as:

A) The willingness of employees to carry out assigned tasks.
B) A sense of loyalty an individual has toward his or her work and company.
C) A combination of feelings and attitudes that employees have toward their work, environment, supervisors, top-level management, and the organization.
D) The belief that one can succeed under all circumstances and in all environments and organizations.

Question 44

Which of the following is another term for organizational development (OD)?

A) Counseling
B) Guiding
C) Process consultation
D) Surveying

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT one of the four ways by which a person may enter an employee assistance program (EAP)?

A) Management referral
B) Self-referral
C) Union referral
D) Family member referral

Question 46

Yesterday, Susan decided to talk with Jillian about her performance. Jillian has been a good performer, but lately her productivity seems to be slipping. During this talk, Susan should:

A) Tell Jillian to get with it and start producing.
B) Meet privately with Jillian in a counseling interview.
C) Approach Jillian on the job in front of other workers and shame her into performing.
D) Ignore the problem but start looking for Jillian's replacement.

Question 47

The Hawthorne Studies is comprehensive research focused on:

A) Work group dynamics.
B) Individual behavior.
C) The differences between males and females.
D) Effective supervision.

Question 48

Which of the following statements about employee attitude surveys is CORRECT?

A) Questionnaires must be filled out by employees in the privacy of their homes.
B) Employees should be allowed to fill out a questionnaire on an anonymous basis.
C) All questionnaires are of the free-form essay type.
D) Tabulation and analysis of questionnaires is usually assigned to each department supervisor.

Question 49

Which of the following is a technique for assessing employee morale?

A) Supervisory training
B) Employee exams
C) Studying patterns of employee behavior
D) Workplace theories

Question 50

All of the following are internal factors that influence employee morale, EXCEPT:

A) Relations with coworkers.
B) Inclement weather.
C) Problems with friends.
D) Job security.

Question 51

In a collaborative workplace:

A) Individuals, not work teams, are paramount.
B) Management alone has decision-making authority.
C) Teamwork processes are used to promote trust and to build consensus.
D) All of the above.

Question 52

When employee morale is high:

A) Teamwork may still be absent.
B) Collaboration among employees will always exist.
C) Productivity will be lower because employees will not feel "driven" to perform.
D) None of the above.

Question 53

Wellness programs help:

A) Employees stay healthy.
B) Employers reduce healthcare costs.
C) Both a and b.
D) Neither a or b.

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT a reason why a work group is cohesive?

A) The group is small.
B) The group shares similar personal characteristics.
C) The group has been formed due to outside pressures.
D) The group is autonomous.

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT a common reason for the formation of work groups?

A) Problem solving
B) Social loafing
C) Companionship
D) Labor union mandates

Question 56

Which of the following statements about workplace incivility is CORRECT?

A) Rude people are much more likely to be in lower positions than their targets.
B) Workplace incivility has declined in recent years.
C) Insensitive on-the-job behavior may make employees feel bad, but it rarely affects productivity.
D) Employees sometimes retaliate against workplace incivility by decreasing their work effort.

Question 57

Which of the following conclusions about work teams was NOT identified by Katzenbach and Smith?

A) Teams function better when they have ten or more people in them.
B) Team members should have complementary skills.
C) Teams should be committed to objectives that are realistic and specific.
D) Team members should be committed to the group and the performance of the group.

Question 58

Kenyon is a supervisor who is confused. Maddie was his top producer last year, but her production has sharply declined over the last two months and her tardiness is becoming a problem. Kenyon should:

A) Encourage Maddie to become involved in the company's wellness program.
B) Advise Maddie to take advantage of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
C) Refer Maddie to the company's employee assistance program.
D) Remind Maddie of the importance of meeting company quotas.

Question 59

Erik is very happy to be working on a strategic planning task force within his company. His primary reason for enjoying being part of the team is the sense of comraderie he gets when interacting with other members. Which reason for participating in a team is most important to Erik?

A) Behavior guidelines
B) Protection
C) Problem solving
D) Companionship and identification

Question 60

Friendship groups are related primarily to:

A) Departmental assignments.
B) The accomplishment of a particular task or project.
C) Personalities and social interests.
D) Geographic location.

Question 61

It has been reported that today's workers are much less happy with many aspects of their jobs than were employees in the past. According to the text, what accounts for this lowered morale?

Question 62

The marketing and branding team at Jesse's work has been meeting for several months, and the group has been extremely productive. The group works together to make decisions and establish goals with little outside supervision, and it is ready to unveil a report and several new campaigns. Jesse's group is most likely in which stage of the group development process?

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

Question 63

Wendy has been designated as group leader of a taskforce at work that just met for orientation last week. During the second meeting, group members began sharing ideas and perspectives about tasks to be accomplished, and Wendy observed that conflict arose among some of the group members. She focused on coaching task force members on use of professional behavior. Wendy's taskforce is currently in which group development stage?

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

Question 64

What is synergistic effect?

Question 65

When is a task group necessary?

Question 66

During the holiday season, workers at a non-profit organization recognized that due to the high level of diversity among the staff, a denominational holiday party would not be suitable. To celebrate the gift of giving, regardless of religious affiliation, the workers decided instead to donate gifts to charities in other employees' names. This example demonstrates:

A) Organizational development
B) Occupational ingenuity
C) Workplace spirituality
D) Synergy

Question 67

State Line Inc.'s executive team meets every two weeks to discuss strategies and tactics to move the company forward. The group is made up of the company president and five vice presidents. The executive team is an example of which type of work group?

A) Command group
B) Cross-functional team
C) Task group
D) Special interest group

Question 68

Carla is upset about a recent action taken by a top manager at her company, and she knows that others within her company feel the same way. If she wanted to form a group to look into the matter more closely, which type of group would be recommended?

A) Command group
B) Cross-functional group
C) Friendship group
D) Special-interest group

Question 69

At L.T. Manufacturing, a team was formed to tackle recent issues with products shipping on time. Members of the team come from different departments including production, design, distribution, and marketing. This team can best be described as which of these?

A) Command group
B) Cross-functional group
C) Friendship group
D) Special interest group

Question 70

Nancy has been asked to serve as a neutral conference leader for SQI's quality control group. The group focuses on resolving quality issues ranging from customer service complaints to manufacturing problems. Discussion during the meetings is honest and informal, and Nancy focuses on helping members come up with ideas to resolve these issues. This example best describes what type of group?

A) Organizational development group
B) Synergistic group
C) Command group
D) Special-interest group

Question 71

Allison, an HR manager at I.E. Inc., closely monitors job performance, tardiness, absenteeism, and employee complaints among the staff as a way to gauge employee morale. Which method of assessing morale does she rely on most?

A) Interviewing
B) Observation and study
C) Attitude surveys
D) Journal findings

Question 72

Describe some of the characteristics that increase the cohesiveness of work groups.

Question 73

According to study findings, what percentage of bullied targets never complain?

A) 20
B) 40
C) 60
D) 80

Question 74

Geographically dispersed team is another name for which of the following?

A) Virtual team
B) Demographic team
C) Cross-functional team
D) Social network team

Question 75

What does organizational development strive to address?

Question 76

Group members are often on their best behavior during which stage of the group development process?

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

Question 77

When two or more individuals interact, such that their combined efforts are greater than the sum of their individual efforts, what is occurring?

A) Synergistic effect
B) Butterfly effect
C) Teamwork
D) Collaboration

Question 78

Briefly discuss the impact of downsizing on employee morale.

Question 79

According to the American Council on Drug Education, which of the following is True regarding drug abusers in the workplace in comparison to non-drug abusers?

A) Drug abusers are equally as likely to miss work
B) Drug abusers are less likely to file a workers' compensation claim
C) Drug abusers are two-thirds as productive
D) Drug abusers are slightly more likely to be involved in on-the-job accidents

Question 80

Once group members establish their roles and responsibilities and a shared understanding of the goal, they tend to move forward productively with the work. This occurs during the ________ stage of group development.

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