Deck 17: Teams and Teamwork

Question 1

In his role as a team leader,a manager is primarily involved in serving as a helpful contributing member of a project team.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Informal groups are always detrimental to the growth of an organization as they are mostly involved in spreading rumors.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Project teams or task forces work on common problems on a permanent basis.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Synergy pools individual talents and efforts to create extraordinary results through collective action.

Question 5

It is in the storming stage that people ideally begin to identify with other members and with the team itself.

Question 6

The functional chimneys problem is more prominent in the case of cross-functional teams.

Question 7

The norming stage is part of the "critical zone" of team development,where successes create long-term gains while failures create long-lasting problems.

Question 8

A team is a collection of people who regularly interact to pursue common goals.

Question 9

A key feature of any self-managing team is multitasking.

Question 10

In the context of virtual teams,selecting team members high in initiative often leads to a lack of co-ordination among the members.

Question 11

Members of informal groups can satisfy needs that are otherwise unmet in their formal work assignments.

Question 12

Persons in a highly cohesive team are less likely to conform to the norms.

Question 13

With respect to member satisfaction,members should take pleasure from the team's performance accomplishments and not focus on their personal contribution.

Question 14

The available resources and organizational setting can affect how fully team members can use and pool their talents to accomplish team tasks.

Question 15

A cross-functional team operates with members who come from different functional units of an organization.

Question 16

Team effectiveness is inversely proportional to the quality of inputs.

Question 17

Members of a self-managing team are held individually accountable for performance results.

Question 18

Team building is a sequence of activities to analyze a team and make changes to improve its performance.

Question 19

The right inputs alone guarantee team effectiveness.

Question 20

Formal groups emerge from relationships and shared interests among the members.

Question 21

Increasing membership homogeneity in a team increases team cohesiveness.

Question 22

Groupthink is likely to occur when members of a group refuse to look realistically at other groups.

Question 23

Highly cohesive teams have a tendency of losing their critical evaluative capabilities.

Question 24

In his role as a coach or team developer,a manager is primarily involved in:

A) serving as the peer leader and networking hub for a special task force.
B) serving as a helpful contributing member of a project team.
C) looking out for "free-riding" in groups and preventing its occurrence.
D) serving as a team's advisor on ways to improve processes and performance.
E) working together with the team and solving problems through computer-based interactions.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of committees?

A) They are led by a designated head or chairperson, who is held accountable for performance results.
B) They emerge from natural or spontaneous relationships among people.
C) They are formed to engage group members in an open, spontaneous discussion of problems.
D) They bring people together to work on common problems, but on a temporary basis.
E) They primarily exist as support groups in which the members basically help one another do their jobs.

Question 26

Which of the following is true of informal groups?

A) Managers are the key "linking pins" among these groups.
B) They emerge from natural or spontaneous relationships among people.
C) They are convened for a specific purpose and disband when their task is completed.
D) They are officially recognized and supported by the organization.
E) Their members have the tendency to avoid responsibility by "free-riding" in groups.

Question 27

By reinforcing the desired behaviors with rewards,leaders can help their teams in building positive norms.

Question 28

The best teams use centralized communication network at all times.

Question 29

In a situation prone to interpersonal conflicts,brainstorming works best in preventing groupthink.

Question 30

A project team or task force is:

A) unofficial and emerges from relationships and shared interests among members.
B) designated to work on a special task on a continuing basis.
C) a team in which members solve problems through computer-based interactions.
D) a team in which members have the tendency of "free-riding" in groups.
E) convened for a specific purpose and disbands when its task is completed.

Question 31

Centralized communication networks work better on simple tasks.

Question 32

A strong conformity to norms by members has a beneficial effect on team performance.

Question 33

Which of the following best describes synergy?

A) It is the process by which some people avoid responsibility by "free-riding" in groups.
B) It is the process of creating a whole greater than the sum of its individual parts.
C) It is the process of analyzing business opportunities according to market growth rate and market share.
D) It is the process that analyses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats involved in a business.
E) It is the process that seeks the lowest costs of operations within a special market segment.

Question 34

The market research department,audit unit,and customer service team of a company are examples of a(n)_____ group.

A) formal
B) informal
C) support
D) grassroots
E) interest

Question 35

It is the sole responsibility of a team leader to minimize the occurrence of disruptive activities in a team.

Question 36

The "decision by majority" rule ensures that no coalitions are formed.

Question 37

Which of the following is a drawback closely associated with teamwork?

A) Functional chimneys problem
B) Glass ceiling effect
C) Social loafing
D) Ecological fallacy
E) Absence of a sense of security

Question 38

Which of the following best describes a committee?

A) It is convened for a specific purpose and disbands when its task is completed.
B) It is unofficial and emerges from relationships and shared interests among members.
C) It is designated to work on a special task on a continuing basis.
D) It is a team whose members work and solve problems through computer-based interactions.
E) It is a team whose members have the tendency to avoid responsibility by "free-riding" in groups.

Question 39

What is social loafing?

A) It is the tendency of some people to avoid responsibility by "free-riding" in groups.
B) It is the tendency to create an invisible barrier limiting career advancement of women and minorities.
C) It is the process by which managers create positive relationships with people who can help advance agendas.
D) It is the process by which people actively work together to accomplish common goals.
E) It is the tendency of some people to display negative attitudes toward members of diverse populations.

Question 40

The process of people actively working together to accomplish common goals is referred to as _____.

A) teamwork
B) team diversification
C) free-riding
D) team building
E) groupthink

Question 41

As teams increase in size:

A) the communication becomes less congested.
B) it becomes easier to manage them.
C) the number of potential interactions increases geometrically.
D) the nature of the task ceases to affect team effectiveness.
E) team effectiveness reaches its peak.

Question 42

Which of the following is one of the most essential characteristic of high-performance teams?

A) Intra-team rivalry
B) External locus of control
C) Groupthink
D) Free-riding
E) Strong leadership

Question 43

The norming stage of team development is the stage:

A) of initial task orientation and interpersonal testing.
B) when subteams are formed around areas of agreement and disagreement.
C) when shared rules of conduct emerge and the team feels a sense of leadership.
D) of total integration in which members are able to deal in creative ways.
E) when team members prepare to achieve closure and disband.

Question 44

Which of the following is most likely to reduce the functional chimneys problem?

A) A cross-functional team
B) A self-managing work team
C) A committee
D) A virtual team
E) A distributed team

Question 45

Which of the following is most likely to increase team effectiveness?

A) Increase in the complexity of interpersonal relationships
B) Good information and material resources
C) Involvement in social loafing
D) Teams that have more than eight or nine members
E) Strong cohesiveness that leads to groupthink

Question 46

The _____ stage involves the first entry of individual members into a team.

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

Question 47

Members of a(n)_____ typically work together and solve problems through computer-based interactions.

A) informal group
B) distributed team
C) interest group
D) support team
E) friendship group

Question 48

The storming stage of team development is the stage:

A) of initial task orientation and interpersonal testing.
B) when subteams are formed around areas of agreement and disagreement.
C) when shared rules of conduct emerge and the team feels a sense of leadership.
D) of total integration in which members are able to deal in creative ways.
E) when team members prepare to achieve closure and disband.

Question 49

It is in the _____ stage that tensions often emerge over tasks and interpersonal concerns.

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

Question 50

The forming stage of team development is the stage:

A) of initial task orientation and interpersonal testing.
B) when subteams are formed around areas of agreement and disagreement.
C) when shared rules of conduct emerge and the team feels a sense of leadership.
D) of total integration in which members are able to deal in creative ways.
E) when team members prepare to achieve closure and disband.

Question 51

_____ is the way team members work together to accomplish tasks.

A) Team effectiveness
B) Team process
C) Team managing
D) Team leading
E) Team controlling

Question 52

Blocs Inc.is headquartered in the United States and has a number of branches across the world.The manager at the U.S.branch is in charge of a project involved in creating a new operating system.Her team members are based in different branches in China,India,Brazil,and Canada.Instead of meeting at a common location,the team members hold discussions through Skype.This is an example of a(n)_____.

A) informal group
B) virtual team
C) interest group
D) support team
E) friendship group

Question 53

How does a cross-functional team help reduce the functional chimneys problem?

A) By giving the team members the right of self-management and thus the right to work in different departments
B) By bringing together people from across functions and thus eliminating the "wall" that may otherwise limit communication through departments and functions
C) By encouraging an unofficial network in which members can build relationships and share interests
D) By making individual contributions more visible and thus controlling social loafing
E) By increasing the motivation of the members and thus increasing work efficiency

Question 54

Which of the following is true of a self-managing work team?

A) It refers to a team in which members evaluate one another's performance contributions.
B) It refers to a team of workers that operate with a comparatively lesser degree of task interdependence.
C) In these teams, the members usually specialize in and focus on performing only one job.
D) Each member of these teams is individually held accountable for performance results.
E) Members of such a team work together and solve problems only through computer-based interactions.

Question 55

As team diversity increases,it is most likely that the:

A) risk of the occurrence of groupthink increases.
B) complexity of interpersonal relationships increases.
C) members become more sensitive to nonverbal cues.
D) risk of occurrence of social loafing increases.
E) scope for special performance opportunities reduces.

Question 56

At the headquarters of Meltdown Inc.,a temporary team consisting of members from its technical department and marketing department is put together to develop a promotional plan for its new robot,"Nancy." This team is given a time limit of fifteen days to complete the task.This team is an example of a(n)_____.

A) committee
B) project team
C) informal group
D) interest group
E) distributed team

Question 57

Which of the following is true of a distributed team?

A) Its members are less likely to get sidetracked by interpersonal difficulties.
B) Its members are more sensitive to nonverbal cues in communication.
C) It always ensures that team members do not feel isolated.
D) It consists of members across departments who work at one place.
E) It has a limited number of members owing to the hassles of expanding such a team.

Question 58

The main difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous teams is that:

A) the risk of occurrence of groupthink is more in the latter.
B) the latter has members who are quite dissimilar to one another.
C) members of the latter work together through computer-based interactions.
D) the latter achieves high levels of task performance and future viability.
E) only the latter has a task-driven, results-oriented structure.

Question 59

The differences in values,personalities,experiences,demographics,and cultures among the membership are referred to as _____.

A) functional chimneys
B) glass walls
C) team diversity
D) groupthink
E) culture shock

Question 60

The functional chimneys problem:

A) emerges from relationships and shared interests among members.
B) results from an invisible barrier limiting career advancement of women and minorities.
C) is the practice of spreading rumors across functional groups.
D) is a lack of communication across functions.
E) is the indecisiveness seen in a functional work team.

Question 61

Which of the following is the last stage in team development?

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

Question 62

A decentralized communication network:

A) allows all members to communicate directly with one another.
B) restricts direct communication between individual members and the hub.
C) allows limited communication among subgroups.
D) decreases cohesiveness in a team.
E) allows communication flows only between individual members and a hub.

Question 63

James notices that his team always fails to complete projects on schedule.He realizes that this problem can be tackled by prioritizing the projects and setting personal goals.He urges his fellow team members to follow his technique.This leads to a significant improvement in the performance of the team.This action taken by James is an appropriate example of a(n)_____ activity.

A) maintenance
B) disruptive
C) task
D) social loafing
E) groupthink

Question 64

A(n)_____ activity is an action taken by a team member that directly contributes to the team's performance purpose.

A) maintenance
B) disruptive
C) task
D) social loafing
E) orientation

Question 65

Conformity to norms in a team is likely to be the highest when:

A) diversity is high.
B) diversity is low.
C) cohesiveness is high.
D) cohesiveness is low.
E) the size of the team is big.

Question 66

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

A) Effectiveness
B) Cohesiveness
C) Productivity
D) Efficiency
E) Diversity

Question 67

All members of a team working on developing a mobile operating system at Lock Inc.contribute helpful task and maintenance behaviors.This team follows the _____ form of leadership.

A) authoritarian
B) high power distance
C) distributed
D) centralized
E) transactional

Question 68

Which of the following is an ideal step that leaders can take to ensure that their teams build positive norms?

A) Increase the size of the team
B) Increase team diversity
C) Impose strict guidelines and penalties
D) Strengthen team cohesiveness
E) Encourage rivalry among members

Question 69

The adjourning stage of team development is the stage:

A) of first entry of individual members into a team of initial task orientation and interpersonal testing.
B) of high emotionality when subteams are formed around areas of agreement and disagreement.
C) where members develop initial feelings of closeness, a division of labor, and a sense of shared expectations.
D) of total integration in which members are able to deal in creative ways with complex tasks.
E) when temporary committees, task forces, and project teams disband with a sense that important goals have been accomplished.

Question 70

A special team is put together at D.M.G.to work on a robotics project.The team is in the process of completing its project,and all the members share the view that they have successfully accomplished their goal.This team is most likely to be in the _____ stage of its development.

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

Question 71

Which of the following is an example of a disruptive activity?

A) Gatekeeping
B) Controlling
C) Being aggressive
D) Following
E) Opinion giving

Question 72

Which of the following is true of a highly cohesive team?

A) The team members are less likely to conform to the norms.
B) The members often violate core values.
C) The intensity of rivalry among the members is very high.
D) The members are not ethical in their dealings.
E) The team members strive to maintain positive relationships.

Question 73

Which of the following is an example of a maintenance activity?

A) Information sharing
B) Elaborating
C) Initiating
D) Gatekeeping
E) Summarizing

Question 74

A _____ activity is an action taken by a team member that supports the emotional life of the group.

A) maintenance
B) disruptive
C) task
D) social loafing
E) self-management

Question 75

Which of the following best describes a norm?

A) It is a behavior, rule, or standard expected to be followed by team members.
B) It is the degree to which members are attracted to and motivated to remain part of a team.
C) It is the tendency of individual team members to engage in self-serving behaviors.
D) It is the way team members of any team actually work together as they transform inputs into output.
E) It is the differences in values, personalities, experiences, demographics, and cultures among the membership.

Question 76

The performing stage of team development is the stage:

A) of first entry of individual members into a team of initial task orientation and interpersonal testing.
B) of high emotionality when subteams are formed around areas of agreement and disagreement.
C) where members develop initial feelings of closeness, a division of labor, and a sense of shared expectations.
D) of total integration in which members are able to deal in creative ways with complex tasks.
E) when temporary committees, task forces, and project teams disband with a sense that important goals have been accomplished.

Question 77

Which of the following is the best way to build high team cohesiveness?

A) Decrease membership homogeneity
B) Increase team size
C) Build agreement on team goals
D) Reward individual results
E) Increase rivalry among members

Question 78

Activities such as showing incivility toward other members and withdrawing from the discussion are typical examples of _____ activities.

A) maintenance
B) disruptive
C) task
D) orientation
E) initializing

Question 79

_____ activities are self-serving behaviors that interfere with team effectiveness.

A) Maintenance
B) Disruptive
C) Task
D) Orientation
E) Self-management

Question 80

Encouraging team members and developing good interpersonal relationships are part of _____ activities.

A) maintenance
B) direct performance oriented
C) task
D) social loafing
E) information sharing