Deck 9: Team and Work Group Communication

Question 1

In a participative team,the members

A)have their deliberations facilitated by the team leader and are coached by the team leader
B)have an equal say in what will be done
C)have a formal process to capture ideas,test and then adopt these ideas once approved by the entire team
D)follow a consensus-building process to maintain the engagement and commitment of all members

Answer 1

A

Question 2

From the point of view of Lipman-Blumen et al 1999 in the theory of groups,organisations should

A)encourage creativity
B)loosen controls
C)encourage more group activity than individualism
D)adapt to the dynamic environment

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Spreitzer,Cohen and Ledford's 1999 research found that

A)both coaching and mentoring of the team was necessary to enhance team effectiveness
B)employee involvement,work design and the characteristics of the team were related,and reinforced each other
C)at times team leader supervision was counter-productive to self-managing team effectiveness
D)higher levels of team success were usually predicated on the quality of team leader support available

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Self-managed work teams are considered a suitable vehicle for achieving work because

A)they have greater flexibility and creativity in their approach and processes
B)they are not required to take responsibility for their outcomes as they are closely monitored by senior management
C)they seek out team self-improvement whilst the work is being done
D)both a.and c.

Question 5

In the theory of teams and groups in communication practice,the informal group is known as

A)a pioneer group
B)the 'gang of three'
C)a virtual team
D)a 'friendship' or 'interest' group

Question 6

What is not a key to identifying a team?

A)Whether members are operating within a charter
B)Whether members see themselves as having specified roles
C)Whether members strive to be better than their fellow members
D)Whether members see the team as accountable for achieving specified organisational goals

Question 7

Knowing how to use the diversity of cultures in teams and groups will

A)improve the relationships between managers and followers
B)provide a source of competitive advantage
C)strengthen the unity of the group
D)help to collect knowledge

Question 8

The evaluation of team work is based on

A)how knowledgeable the staff is
B)how staff want to communicate with other members in the team
C)what family background staff have
D)what the team does,and the standards for evaluation

Question 9

Which two dimensions are considered when evaluating a work team's effectiveness?

A)Outcomes and behaviours
B)Tasks and behaviours
C)Tasks and outcomes
D)Performance and development

Question 10

According to Lipman-Blumen et al 1999,what do today's organisations need?

A)More teams
B)More impassioned managers
C)More 'hot' groups
D)More successful organisations

Question 11

Wageman 1997 identified a number of critical success factors for self-managing teams.This is best shown in

A)a clear direction,basic resources,a suitable reward system,authority for the team to manage their work approach,deadlines and coaching
B)a team-developed goal,the right skill set,dedication to the task,continuous consensus building,clear communication,measurable outcomes
C)taking responsibility for their work,monitoring their own performance,altering approaches and strategies depending on circumstances
D)having an outward focus that is balanced with accomplishing the task at hand,taking time to plan and review regularly,and seeking to continuous improvement

Question 12

A group or a team consists of at least

A)six people
B)a team leader,and minimally three others
C)two people
D)three people

Question 13

A group of colleagues who informally get together to work on a specific idea are most likely to be part of

A)a cross-functional team
B)a virtual team
C)a hot group
D)a self-managed work team

Question 14

According to Wageman 1997,the key principle behind self-managing teams is that

A)the managers take responsibility for their work
B)the team takes responsibility for its work exclusively
C)the team takes responsibility for its work and also monitors and alters its performance
D)the managers not only take responsibility for the work but also monitor and alter the team's performance

Question 15

A work team's effectiveness is shown by

A)the quantity and quality of its outputs
B)how the members interact in the achievement of team goals
C)the capacity of the team to fulfil its charter now and adapt to ongoing change in the future
D)all of the above

Question 16

A work team is defined as a group

A)consisting of managers and followers
B)whose members work together on a particular task to achieve common goals
C)whose members contribute to the relationship between customers and service
D)whose members are interested in personal development

Question 17

The difference between a group and a team is that

A)teams are formed and developed;groups are made up of a collection of individuals
B)in a team each member has a job,the team has a common purpose and something that it must achieve together;a group may not have one or more of these elements
C)teams are formal constructs,groups are informal constructs
D)there is no difference - the terms are used interchangeably

Question 18

Which type of team or group is increasingly relied upon in global organisations and alliances?

A)Virtual teams
B)Internet teams
C)Cross-functional teams
D)Self-managed teams

Question 19

Cross-functional teams are

A)typically virtual teams that can be classified into three types
B)interdisciplinary teams with members from several functional areas
C)teams with members working on limited tasks
D)teams with members primarily responsible for knowledge management

Question 20

A task or a project team is regarded as an

A)contractual arrangement
B)informal group
C)formal group
D)common interest group

Question 21

As the individuals in a group or team continue to engage with each other through good communication,personal issues emerge relating to

A)inclusion of the individual,knowledge of the location of power,and acceptance of the individual by the remainder of the group\team
B)social competence,emotional intelligence,and the individual's evolving task and interpersonal roles in the group
C)emotional attachment to the group,sense of belonging,and morale maintenance
D)level of on-going support from the rest of the team,esteem afforded to the individual by the team,and degree of self-actualisation potential in the team context

Question 22

When is a team able to perform effectively according to the theories of 'teams and groups'?

A)Once team members relate to one another and make connections between their knowledge and that of others in the group
B)When team members are united as friends
C)When team members are willing to be promoted
D)Once team members establish good individual images

Question 23

According to Tuckman 1965,groups go through a number of stages in 'group development'.This is shown in

A)goal setting,role determination,action planning,execution,review
B)skill auditing,selection,role allocation,performance,team review,
C)forming,storming,norming,performing,adjourning
D)forming,storming,norming,performing

Question 24

The type of role that a person plays in a team is determined by

A)personality pre-disposition,self-image,perceptions of others,rewards and self-expectations
B)the tasks allocated to the individual team member
C)the prestige and power that is to be gained from fulfilling a particular role
D)their status and ability to manage others

Question 25

A leader who shares the decision-making role with their team members is

A)an authoritarian leader
B)a participative leader
C)a laissez-faire leader
D)an enlightened leader

Question 26

A group in which no one challenges ideas within the group would be considered

A)a cohesive group
B)an effective group
C)a group suffering from 'groupthink'
D)a leadership group

Question 27

What is believed to be critical for building an effective virtual team?

A)Electing a leader
B)The technical knowledge of the group members
C)Establishing a clear purpose
D)Building relationships

Question 28

There are team members who are dysfunctional with regard to the purpose of the team.Such types of people are seen in roles of

A)attention-seeker,aggrandiser,apologist,atavist and avoider
B)power-seeker,pawn,politician,pugilist and pauper
C)pessimist,blocker,aggressor,a show-off,lobbyist and rebel
D)nay-sayer,victim,power-broker,mendicant and mollifier

Question 29

The nature of teamwork is best described as being based on

A)cooperation and collaboration
B)work-role allocation and performance
C)communication and consensus
D)friendship or common interests

Question 30

According to Bertcher 1994 to get the job done,team members need to engage in two kinds of interdependent behaviours.These are

A)individual and team behaviours
B)task and social behaviours
C)goal-setting and objective-setting behaviours
D)structural and communication behaviours

Question 31

A role within a group or team is

A)a set of expected behaviours associated with a position
B)a set of criteria which individuals need to satisfy
C)a position people are interested in as a symbol of power
D)a set of behaviours that emerges at the stage of group formation

Question 32

There are two major categories of workgroups in an organisation:

A)forming and storming
B)formal and informal
C)autonomous and managed
D)norming and performing

Question 33

Team performance is affected by a number of variables,including size.According to the researchers cited in the textbook,the ideal group size is

A)from four to eight members
B)from ten to twelve members
C)dependent on a number of factors
D)the researchers do not agree

Question 34

The studies carried out by Bacon and Blyton 2002 revealed that

A)lower-skilled people felt less positive about working in teams than more skilled employees
B)there were many intrinsic rewards for people who operated in team environments
C)the potential for broader employee skilling through training and greater variety in job activities raised employee morale
D)the attention of management was an important variable in raising employee motivation

Question 35

Working in groups and teams has both advantages and disadvantages.One disadvantage is 'risk-shifting',a process where

A)risk is split with management because the group wants to share the weight of making the wrong choice with more senior personnel
B)a decision is made to go with the higher risk option because the responsibility will rest with the whole group if the decision proves to be a poor one
C)the team or group abandons its responsibility altogether,preferring to pass risky decisions to consultants or senior management
D)little or no time is allowed to consider the attendant risks of a proposition or course of action being confronted by the team

Question 36

What do organisations need in order to encourage teamwork?

A)A flat structure
B)A diverse workforce
C)Managers and team leaders who create a positive communication climate
D)Systems and procedures

Question 37

According to Goodman et al 1987 and Hogg et al 2006,norms in 'teams and groups' are defined as

A)incentives provided by an organisation to 'get the job done'
B)formal codes of practice essential to a workgroup
C)the acceptable standards,expectations or 'rules' that 'regulate' and foster uniform behaviours
D)the normal behaviours exemplified by leaders and adopted by the followers

Question 38

The advantages of a group decision over an individual decision theoretically depend on

A)the information the group can provide
B)the competencies within and the effectiveness of the group
C)the outcomes the group achieved
D)the communication skills in the group

Question 39

Taking time out to celebrate an achievement or a social occasion such as a team member's birthday or anniversary are examples of

A)task-related activities
B)maintenance-related activities
C)human capital building roles
D)social engineering roles

Question 40

As the group is restructured,the committee disbanded or the task force dissolved after completing its objectives,the

A)performing stage occurs
B)storming stage arises
C)adjourning stage arises
D)norming stage occurs

Question 41

Norms in the theory of teams and groups are the shared ideas and expectations about how members of a group should behave.

Question 42

The number of changes currently affecting organisations makes it likely that any one person will be trained to have the full set of skills needed to complete every task.

Question 43

Self-managed work teams are neither semi-autonomous nor autonomous,with a high level of control over their work.

Question 44

Supervisory groups are critical to the effectiveness of self-managing work teams.

Question 45

Ways of doing things imposed from the top down can be taken as a successful project in the theory of teams and groups.

Question 46

The words 'team' and group' are mutually exclusive and not used interchangeably.

Question 47

The desired outcome of communication within a group is that everyone feels included,at every stage of team development.

Question 48

Rather than interacting in the physical location of their company's building,virtual team leaders and members collaborate and communicate remotely through communication technologies.

Question 49

The quality of interactions,sharing of information,decision making and team activities at each of the five stages of team development is affected by the team members' skills in collaboration and communication.

Question 50

One of the factors common to all project teams is clarity of purpose,achieved by understanding their manager's needs.

Question 51

Defensive roles are always destructive within a group.

Question 52

Diversity of backgrounds,experiences,and approaches is common in cross-functional teams.

Question 53

The difference between formal and informal groups in the theory of teams and groups is whether the group is established by management.

Question 54

According to Shaw et al 2000,the characteristics of effective teams include clear goals,relevant skills,mutual trust,unified commitment,good communication,negotiating skills,and internal and external support.

Question 55

The role of teams is to make decisions,plan,achieve goals,reflect on and assess its own performance and to plan again if necessary.

Question 56

Access to technology is the most crucial factor in the success of a virtual team.

Question 57

Groups are believed to be more effective than individuals in evaluating ambiguous situations,promoting unique ideas,recalling information accurately and,consequently,making good decisions.

Question 58

The differences between organisations and groups are the structure,size and norms.

Question 59

It is rare to find a totally authoritarian or laissez-faire leader.

Question 60

Each member brings interpersonal concerns to the group and these concerns become part of the group process as the social needs of individual members emerge.

Question 61

The communication climate of the group has a limited effect on the effectiveness of the group.

Question 62

What are the factors that influence work groups and team performance? Discuss which ones do you think occur quite often and why.

Question 63

Outline the advantages and disadvantages of group decisions.What are the five keys to group and team empowerment? Identify the two factors that may lower the standards and expectations of a group?

Question 64

Group performance is the cause of a complex interaction between people and the roles they play within the group.

Question 65

'Teams are the answer in the current highly fluid chaotic business environment'.Provide a balanced response to this assertion in which you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of teams.

Question 66

List the five stages in the development of a group in an organisation.Name three behaviours typical of each of the different stages in the development of a group.If you are currently part of a group,which 'type' of group do you think best describes it? At what stage of development is this group?

Question 67

What are the roles within a group or team? Discuss the roles that can emerge within a work group or team and how they work in practice.Discuss the impact of leadership on a group or team.

Question 68

What are the four group decision-making techniques and what is the purpose of each? Describe how a team can facilitate effective decision-making.How can a team leader facilitate member participation?

Question 69

Teamwork means people work together to accomplish a common goal.

Question 70

Explain what a team is and describe the types of teams,their characteristics,purposes,functions and effects in practice.Which one do you recommend and why?

Question 71

The main disadvantage of groups is that they take a lot of time to organise and manage.

Question 72

There is a risk that effective groups may be exclusive and negative toward others who are different.

Question 73

Advocates of teamwork believe that there are many extrinsic rewards for employees from the adoption of these work practices.

Question 74

It is likely that an autonomous group led by a laissez-faire leader would have a good idea of what is going on in the organisation.

Question 75

Factors affecting group performance include: size,leadership,members,team structure,cohesiveness,groupthink,climate,environment,intervention,work-group moods,work-team enablers,power,accountability,capability,direction and transparency.