Deck 15: Effective Groups and Teams

Question 1

When top managers design an organization's structure and establish a chain of command, they are essentially creating ad hoc committees.

Answer 1

False
Explanation:When top managers design an organization's structure and establish reporting relationships and a chain of command, they are essentially creating command groups.

Question 2

Formal groups are formed when members feel that creating such a group will help them achieve their own goals or meet their own needs.

Answer 2

False
Explanation:Sometimes organization members, managers or nonmanagers, form groups because they feel that groups will help them achieve their own goals or meet their own needs. Groups formed in this way are informal groups.

Question 3

Employees of a multinational organization will mostly likely opt for asynchronous technologies when large differences in time zones make it impossible for them to communicate on a real-time basis.

Answer 3

True
Explanation:Asynchronous technologies are used when real-time communication and interactions aren't possible and includes e-mails, electronic bulletin boards, and Internet websites.

Question 4

Task forces are occasionally referred to as ad hoc committees.

Question 5

If the membership of a member of a standing committee expires, the standing committee itself will cease to exist.

Question 6

Asynchronous technologies allow virtual team members to interact with one another in real time simultaneously.

Question 7

When group members strive to agree with each other instead of trying to make an accurate assessment of the situation, it is called groupthink.

Question 8

Teams that are empowered and have the autonomy to complete an identifiable piece of work are known as self-managed teams.

Question 9

Self-managed work teams are characterized by higher costs.

Question 10

To take advantage of the potential for synergy in groups, managers need to make sure that groups are composed of members who have complementary skills.

Question 11

Groups established by managers to achieve organizational goals are known as formal groups.

Question 12

Performance gains that result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions is called synergy.

Question 13

Friendship groups and interest groups are examples of formal groups formed in an organization.

Question 14

Formal work groups are cross-functional teams composed of members from different departments.

Question 15

To promote innovation, the manager should closely direct or supervise the activities of the team members.

Question 16

Diversity is discouraged in top-management teams, as it aids groupthinking.

Question 17

All teams are groups, and all groups are teams.

Question 18

A team whose members have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products is called a research and development team.

Question 19

Task forces that change frequently are referred to as standing committees.

Question 20

Employees of self-managed work teams never have individual jobs and are completely committed to their team.

Question 21

The tendency of individuals to put in more effort when they work in groups than when they work alone is called social loafing.

Question 22

When group members are reciprocally interdependent, managers are advised to create large groups.

Question 23

High levels of cohesiveness can cause group members to be extremely focused on group goal accomplishment even if it may jeopardize organizational performance.

Question 24

When a group's members are reciprocally interdependent, managers are advised to reward group members on the basis of group performance.

Question 25

In pooled task interdependence, the work performed by a group member is highly dependent on the work performed by other group members.

Question 26

As group cohesiveness increases, the extent of group members' participation within the group decreases.

Question 27

The degree to which members of a group are attracted to or loyal to the group is called group cohesiveness.

Question 28

Deviance signals that a group is not controlling one of its members' behaviors.

Question 29

Informal groups of workers who socialize with one another on the job are known as friendship groups.

Question 30

Leaders that emerge naturally from a group are called informal leaders.

Question 31

Members of small groups are better able to see the importance of their personal contributions for their group's success when compared to members of large groups.

Question 32

The final stage in group development is adjourning, which applies only to groups that eventually are disbanded.

Question 33

The appropriate size of a high-performing group is affected by the kind of tasks the group is to perform.

Question 34

Interest groups are informal groups composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and share similar recreational interests.

Question 35

Group identity and healthy competition are consequences of group cohesiveness.

Question 36

In groups with sequential task interdependence, motivation is highest when managers reward a member based on his individual performance rather than the group's performance.

Question 37

Norming is the first stage of group development, in which members try to get to know one another.

Question 38

As group size increases, social loafing decreases.

Question 39

Shared rules of conduct that most group members follow are known as group norms.

Question 40

Pooled, sequential, and reciprocal are different types of task interdependencies.

Question 41

Task forces that are relatively permanent are referred to as:

A) interest groups.
B) informal groups.
C) standing committees.
D) virtual groups.
E) working committees.

Question 42

Which of the following statements is true of task forces?

A) Task forces that are relatively permanent are often referred to as ad hoc committees.
B) Task forces are composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and socialize with one another.
C) Task forces are committees of managers or nonmanagerial employees from various departments or divisions who meet to solve a specific, mutual problem.
D) Task forces are groups that managers or nonmanagerial employees form to help achieve their own goals or meet their own needs.
E) A group of interns who work in a hospital and have lunch together twice a week constitute a task force.

Question 43

The CEO of ABC Company forms a top-management team to develop the strategic marketing plan for the organization and selects members who possess different expertise, skills, knowledge, and experience. The team, in this case, has been created with emphasis mainly on _____.

A) diversity
B) individualism
C) groupthink
D) social loafing
E) autocracy

Question 44

Performance gains that result when individuals and departments coordinate their actions is called _____.

A) synergy
B) conformance
C) deviance
D) groupthink
E) social loafing

Question 45

A team whose members work face-to-face and have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products is called a(n) _____.

A) top-management team
B) informal team
C) research and development team
D) interest group
E) virtual team

Question 46

JME Manufacturing put together a group of employees from marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and quality control to come up with a new product idea. This is an example of a(n) _____ group.

A) informal
B) friendship
C) advocacy
D) cross-functional
E) top-management

Question 47

A group of workers form a group so that the members can interact with each other socially both on and off the job. This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) task force
B) cross-functional group
C) command group
D) informal group
E) virtual team

Question 48

Team members within a particular group are generally more fixated on coming to a common, agreeable solution over accurately assessing the problems that the group is facing. This type of faulty group decision making is called _____.

A) cognitive dissonance
B) halo effect
C) synergy
D) groupthink
E) social loafing

Question 49

A small group of marketers from different departments of an organization get together every Friday and go to lunch, where they discuss various topics. This is an example of:

A) a control group.
B) a virtual team.
C) an informal group.
D) a command group.
E) a self-managed work team.

Question 50

To further promote innovation among team members, the manager should avoid:

A) offering guidance to the group.
B) coaching the group in developing certain skills.
C) closely directing or supervising the group.
D) providing the resources the group needs.
E) assisting the group in its requirements.

Question 51

A group of machinists in a manufacturing plant who report to the same shop foreman is an example of:

A) an informal group.
B) a virtual group.
C) a cross-functional group.
D) a self-managed work group.
E) a command group.

Question 52

Which of the following statements is true with respect to groups and teams?

A) All groups are considered as teams.
B) Teams have no restrictions on the number of members in them, unlike groups.
C) The intensity with which members work together is always higher in a team than in a group.
D) All groups are informal and all teams are formal.
E) There is a specific, overriding common goal or objective for groups but not for teams.

Question 53

When the CEO of an organization redesigns the organizational chart to define different reporting relationships among the organization's managers, she is essentially creating _____.

A) informal groups
B) friendship groups
C) command groups
D) virtual groups
E) interest groups

Question 54

A group of managers who are responsible for designing the long-range strategic plan for an organization are collectively known as:

A) an informal team.
B) a cross-cultural group.
C) a top-management team.
D) a friendship group.
E) an interest group.

Question 55

Groups established by managers to attain organizational goals are called:

A) friendship groups.
B) control groups.
C) formal groups.
D) interest groups.
E) advocacy groups.

Question 56

Managers at Clementiq Inc. established a group comprising engineers from Germany, Japan, and the United States for the design and manufacture of a new product for the organization. This is known as a(n) _____ team.

A) cross-cultural
B) informal
C) top-management
D) advocacy
E) interest

Question 57

The management of a popular sporting equipment manufacturer, as a part of their advertising strategy for their latest product, has put together a team to market their product across the country. The team put together for this purpose is called a(n):

A) formal group.
B) top-management group.
C) control group.
D) friendship group.
E) interest group.

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true of a command group?

A) A command group is an example of an informal group.
B) A command group is composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and socialize with one another.
C) A group of interns who work in a hospital and have lunch together twice a week constitute a command group.
D) A command group is composed of the CEO, the president, and the heads of the most important departments.
E) Subordinates who report to the same supervisor compose a command group.

Question 59

Which of the following should managers ensure in order to take advantage of the potential for synergy?

A) Create groups where the members have identical personalities
B) Be strongly directive with the group
C) Appoint members with complementary skills and knowledge
D) Avoid empowerment
E) Reward individual performances instead of the group as a whole

Question 60

A group of telephone operators in a telecommunications company who report to the same supervisor are part of a(n) _____.

A) research and development team
B) informal group
C) command group
D) interest group
E) control group

Question 61

Informal groups composed of employees who enjoy one another's company and socialize with one another are called:

A) command groups.
B) virtual teams.
C) interest groups.
D) task forces.
E) friendship groups.

Question 62

Work groups that are empowered to assume responsibility and autonomy to complete identifiable pieces of work for an organization are referred to as:

A) informal groups.
B) interest groups.
C) command groups.
D) top-management teams.
E) self-managed work teams.

Question 63

Environment-conscious members of an organization have taken up an initiative to reduce the number of styrofoam cups and sheets of paper used by the company. They organize meetings by themselves on a weekly basis where they discuss methods of making their company more eco-friendly. The members, in this case, constitute a(n) _____.

A) virtual group
B) formal group
C) command group
D) interest group
E) friendship group

Question 64

Which of the following statements is true of group tasks?

A) Assembly lines and mass-production processes are characterized by pooled task interdependence.
B) With sequential interdependence, it is easy to identify individual performance.
C) For groups with pooled interdependence, managers are often advised to reward group members for group performance.
D) For groups with pooled interdependence, managers should determine the appropriate group size primarily from the amount of work to be accomplished.
E) Pooled task interdependence exists when group members must perform specific tasks in a predetermined order.

Question 65

When Ken, the manager of Transporters Inc., put together a new marketing team, he assigned clear roles and responsibilities to all the members of the team and appointed Kyle to lead the team. Kyle is a(n):

A) formal leader.
B) informal leader.
C) role manager.
D) role maker.
E) unofficial leader.

Question 66

At the weekly managers meetings, Jamie, the advertising manager, is expected to update the members on the company's future advertising efforts and strategies. In this case, Jamie is expected to conform to his _____.

A) groupthink
B) group role
C) synergy
D) stereotype
E) task interdependence

Question 67

The manager of a sales group has presented the weekly target on the number of sales her group must achieve. For this particular target to be achieved, she decides to reward the members of her group solely based on the number of sales each member makes. The type of task dependency that will exist in this case is _____.

A) sequential task interdependence
B) ordered task interdependence
C) pooled task interdependence
D) simultaneous task interdependence
E) reciprocal task interdependence

Question 68

An assembly line is an arrangement of workers, machines, and equipment in which the product being assembled passes consecutively from one process to another in a particular order until completed. From this definition of an assembly line, it can be inferred that an assembly line group exemplifies _____.

A) pooled task interdependence
B) a virtual team format
C) a top-management team format
D) reciprocal task interdependence
E) sequential task interdependence

Question 69

_____ exists when group members must perform specific tasks in a predetermined order.

A) Sequential task interdependence
B) Partial task interdependence
C) Pooled task interdependence
D) Reciprocal task interdependence
E) Complete task independence

Question 70

The members of a particular group are getting to know one another and attempting to reach an understanding of how each of them should act within the group. This stage of group development is called _____.

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

Question 71

When managers see the need to modify the roles of members within an existing group, members of the group are encouraged to take on additional responsibilities. This is called _____.

A) social loafing
B) role making
C) synergy
D) social inertia
E) role homogeneity

Question 72

When the work of each group member is completely dependent on the work performed by the other group members but isn't restricted to a particular sequence, it is known as _____.

A) total task independence
B) pooled task interdependence
C) sequential task interdependence
D) serial interdependence
E) reciprocal task interdependence

Question 73

Which of the following statements is true about groups that are smaller in size?

A) Members of small groups tend to be less motivated.
B) Members interact less with each other in small groups.
C) Managers of small work groups obtain a smaller advantage from division of labor.
D) Members of small groups find it harder to share information with one another.
E) Managers of small work groups tend to be less committed.

Question 74

Which of the following is true about the members of a large group when compared to those of a small group?

A) Members interact more with each other in larger groups.
B) Members of large groups tend to be more motivated.
C) Members of large groups find it easier to share information with one another.
D) Members of large groups have more resources at their disposal.
E) Members of large groups tend to be more committed.

Question 75

For a self-managed team to be most effective, a manager must:

A) solve all the problems for the team as they arise.
B) provide close supervision for all the team activities.
C) choose members for the team solely on the basis of their educational qualifications.
D) provide training in the required fields to all the team members.
E) give team members limited autonomy and responsibility for their tasks.

Question 76

The set of behaviors and tasks that a member of a group is expected to perform because he is a member of the group is known as:

A) a group role.
B) virtual teamwork.
C) synergy.
D) groupthink.
E) a group norm.

Question 77

_____ exists when group members make separate, independent contributions to group performance.

A) Sequential task interdependence
B) Total task dependence
C) Reciprocal task interdependence
D) Simultaneous task interdependence
E) Pooled task interdependence

Question 78

Members of research and development teams are required to come up with better or innovative products for their organization. In order to do so, the members in a team need to constantly interact and share information with each other and need to be highly coordinated in order to be most effective. From these observations, it can be concluded that _____ exists within a research and development team.

A) pooled task interdependence
B) total task independence
C) reciprocal task interdependence
D) sequential task interdependence
E) no task dependence

Question 79

Motivation in groups with _____ will be highest when managers reward group members based on individual performance.

A) serial interdependence
B) sequential interdependence
C) progressive interdependence
D) pooled interdependence
E) reciprocal interdependence

Question 80

The idea-creation team for Universal-Smile Cards includes an artist whose job is to create and draw the illustrations that will accompany new cards. The artist's job of creating and drawing illustrations for her development team is called a _____.

A) virtual role
B) group norm
C) group role
D) person specification
E) charismatic role