Deck 8: Creating High-Performing Teams

Question 1

A clear,engaging team purpose can be a problem,as well as an advantage. The best example of this is _____.

A) a team that checks with other organizational groups before proceeding on a project
B) a team that works solely on their department's goals,to the exclusion of helping other departments achieve their goals
C) a team that provides products designed especially to meet customer needs
D) a team that doesn't need a leader to make decisions

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Implicit team norms can be dysfunctional because _____.

A) all team norms should be made explicit
B) even when dysfunctional,implicit team norms are not discussed and thus the team cannot assess the impact of these norms on team effectiveness
C) they are likely to lead to lawsuits
D) they are not written down

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to researcher Richard Hackman,high-performing teams meet all of the effectiveness criteria listed below except _____.

A) team must grow and learn as a unit
B) team must promote the personal growth needs of members
C) teams must consistently produce high quality output
D) team members sacrifice personal well being for the good of the team

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A powerful team purpose _____.

A) Engages employees because it helps them find meaning in their work
B) motivates team members to persist when they face hurdles
C) reduces the risk that the team will waste time on activities that don't matter
D) all of the above

Question 5

The textbook says that having "clear boundaries" is a characteristic of teams. "Clear boundaries" refers to _____________.

A) team members can identify who is and isn't a member of the team
B) outsiders recognize the team as a legitimate unit
C) both a and b
D) none of the above

Question 6

When tasks are designed with skill variety,task identity,and task significance,team members are more likely to _____.

A) experience their job as meaningful
B) know the results of their efforts quickly
C) a and b
D) none of the above

Question 7

You have just joined a new team at work. After the first few weeks,you notice that everyone on the team gets together for lunch on Thursdays. No one says anything about it - it just seems to happen. As a result,you assume that "this is how we do things around here" and make sure you are always free to have lunch with the group on Thursdays. This is an example of _____.

A) an explicit norm
B) an implicit norm
C) an explicit policy
D) an implicit policy

Question 8

The systematic methods members use to solve problems,make decisions,and implement solutions are called _____.

A) task processes
B) relationship processes
C) critical processes
D) quality processes

Question 9

According to the textbook,the most important lesson effective leaders learn is that their most important job is to _____.

A) directly intervene in the team's work rather than manage the context in which the team works
B) manage the context in which the team works rather than directly intervene in the team's work( Recall,Moderate)
C) be the go-to person for everyday team issues to build credibility
D) provide the team with a sense of identity as an unbounded team

Question 10

To create a context for high performance,team leaders should _____.

A) invest in ongoing personal development
B) provide an enabling task design
C) connect the team to external people and groups
D) all of the above

Question 11

Synergy occurs when _____.

A) the group performs better than the most capable individual in the group
B) the group performs worse than the most capable individual in the group
C) the group performs worse than the least capable individual in the group
D) the group performs better than the least capable individual in the group

Question 12

High-performing work teams are like sports teams because _____.

A) they need frequent,disciplined,practice
B) they sometimes act like overpaid children
C) they rely primarily on a few of the top players
D) they need to know how to end-run the other team

Question 13

Which of the following is not one of the characteristics of a well-designed task?

A) clear boundaries
B) meaningfulness
C) feedback
D) daily coaching

Question 14

Which of the following goals would be a good example of a "SMART" goal?

A) Improve customer satisfaction because our satisfaction numbers have decreased
B) Create new product ideas because our competition has introduced 3 new products in the past year
C) Reduce scrap rates in manufacturing by 20% by the end of the third quarter
D) Reduce the likelihood of product failures in the near future

Question 15

"SMART" goals refer to all of the following except _____.

A) synergistic
B) measurable
C) aligned
D) realistic

Question 16

At Genentech,a bioengineering company,large posters are displayed at different places on the corporate campus. These posters depict people who have been helped by drugs developed by Genentech. By exposing employees to these people's stories,Genentech is helping to create _____.

A) a clear,engaging purpose
B) people skills
C) carefully developed work processes
D) none of the above

Question 17

According to researchers Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham,a well designed task has all of the following except _____.

A) Personality based feedback
B) skill variety
C) task identity
D) task significance

Question 18

The social skills teams develop to create a productive work climate are called _____.

A) task processes
B) relationship processes
C) quality processes
D) critical processes

Question 19

According to Richard Hackman and Ruth Wageman,____.

A) good coaching can significantly help a poorly designed team
B) good coaching can help a team without a clear direction and well-designed tasks
C) good coaching has little or no impact on a poorly designed team
D) good coaching has little or no impact on a well-designed team

Question 20

Based on this chapter on teams in the textbook,which of the following does not help a team achieve synergy?

A) purpose
B) people
C) process
D) promotion

Question 21

Excessive in-group identification and cohesion can lead to_____.

A) isolation
B) overestimation of the group's competence
C) blindness to interdependencies with external individuals and groups
D) all of the above

Question 22

Because of our basic need to belong to a social group,we are _____.

A) likely to see ourselves as more similar to people from other groups than to people from our own groups
B) more likely to remember negative information about our in-group,especially under stress
C) more likely to see members of out-groups in positive ways,especially under stress
D) none of the above

Question 23

According to research Deborah Ancona and her colleagues,____.

A) teams that are primarily internally focused tend to achieve the highest performance ratings
B) teams that are primarily externally connected tend to achieve the highest performance ratings
C) teams that are both internally focused and externally connected tend to achieve the highest performance ratings
D) realize that the work of one team has little effect on the work of other teams

Question 24

Which of the following is not stage of team development?

A) forming
B) performing
C) approving
D) storming

Question 25

Researchers Marcial Losada and Emily Heaphy found that the highest performing teams in their research ____.

A) had about a 1:1 ratio of positive to negative statements among team members
B) had about a 2:1 ratio of positive to negative statements among team members
C) had about a 6:1 ratio of positive to negative statements among team members
D) had no negative statements among team members

Question 26

The boundary spanning role that translates external information to make it useful is the _____.

A) scout
B) ambassador
C) sentry
D) moderator

Question 27

A National Traffic Safety Board study of "the circumstances in which cockpit crews were more likely to get in trouble" found that approximately "___% of all incidences occurred on the crew's first day of flying together."

A) 12%
B) 28%
C) 55%
D) 73%

Question 28

The term that describes the tendency of groups to want to maintain cohesiveness at the cost of critical thinking is _____.

A) groupthink
B) self-management
C) synergy
D) unanimity

Question 29

Which of the following is not a way for team leaders to promote cooperation across teams?

A) Articulate a common vision with the team that inspires interdependence.
B) Refer to "us" versus "them" in all communications to clearly identify boundaries.
C) Create gatekeeping roles in the teams.
D) Reward cooperation across teams.

Question 30

The stage of group development likely to be characterized by high energy,pride,and confidence is _____.

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

Question 31

Categorizing our social world into groups gives us _____.

A) a sense of control
B) a sense of stability
C) a sense of predictability
D) all of the above

Question 32

A group engaged in groupthink is likely to _____.

A) have members that don't express their concerns
B) communicate challenging information easily to group leaders
C) recognize the differences of opinion that exist in the group
D) seek out information from outsiders

Question 33

The stage of group development in which we are most likely to see members being dependent on their leader is _____.

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

Question 34

All of the following are boundary-spanning roles except _____.

A) scout
B) ambassador
C) guard
D) conductor

Question 35

Boundary spanners ____.

A) connect their teams externally
B) tend to be more successful professionally
C) both a and b
D) none of the above

Question 36

To prevent groupthink,leaders should _____.

A) be familiar with the symptoms of groupthink
B) remove themselves from some group meetings
C) encourage group members to give them bad news
D) all of the above

Question 37

Researchers Marcial Losada and Emily Heaphy found that the highest performing teams in their research ____.

A) balanced advocacy (e.g.,expressing one's own opinion)
And inquiry (e.g.,asking others for their opinion)
B) emphasized inquiry (e.g.,asking others for their opinion)
More than advocacy (e.g.,expressing one's own opinion)
C) emphasized advocacy (e.g.,expressing one's own opinion)
More than inquiry (e.g.,asking others for their opinion)
D) none of the above

Question 38

According to the text,we have difficulty in managing in-group/out-group relationships because _____.

A) we tend to see the world from the perspective of our own group
B) we tend to engage in negative stereotyping of outgroup members
C) we develop emotional attachments to our own groups
D) all of the above

Question 39

If I am acting as a "scout" for my team,I am most likely to be _____.

A) gathering information and resources
B) engaging in team impression management
C) allowing entry to the team
D) protecting the team by denying non-legitimate requests from outside

Question 40

Which stage of team development are team members most likely to resist the leader?

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

Question 41

The four types of gatekeeping roles designed to manage boundaries between the group and its external environment are driver,analytic,amiable,and expressive.

Question 42

To be effective,it's critical for team leaders to know when to intervene in the team and when to stay out of the team's way.

Question 43

According to the textbook,leaders of high-performing teams spend a great deal of time creating a context in which team members can do their best work rather than directly intervening with the team

Question 44

Implicit norms are generally dysfunctional.

Question 45

According to the textbook,the best thing a leader can do for the team is _____.

A) help it get off to a good start
B) provide direction,structure,and resources
C) carefully plan the type and timing of coaching
D) all of the above

Question 46

The five stages of team development are telling,coaching,participating,delegating,and allocating.

Question 47

A powerful team purpose creates a sense of urgency.

Question 48

An effective team member generally sacrifices his or her own goals for the sake of the team.

Question 49

"SMART" goals refer to goals that are synergistic,malleable,aligned,realistic,and time-bound.

Question 50

Boundary spanners tend to have less successful careers because they don't prioritize the internal needs of their teams.

Question 51

High performing teams are both internally focused and externally connected.

Question 52

Groups engaged in groupthink tend to develop illusions of unanimity.

Question 53

According to Richard Hackman,what are the 3 effectiveness criteria that distinguish high performing teams from mediocre or poor-performing teams (e.g.,what are the outcomes of a high performing team that enables it to have sustained success over time)?
How can you distinguish a high-performing team from a mediocre team? High-performing teams meet three effectiveness criteria that enable them to have sustained success over time:

Question 54

Process gains refers to the benefits of team synergy.

Question 55

As long as a team has effective task processes,the team will be able to continue to produce high-quality products,regardless of relationship processes.

Question 56

The stage of group development in which we are most likely to see transfer of learning to other situations and settings is _____.

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

Question 57

An enabling task design includes the following 5 characteristics: skill variety,task identity,task synergy,autonomy,and situational leadership.

Question 58

Effective explicit norms should address only those behaviors that each member can control.

Question 59

High performing teams balance both advocacy (e.g.,expressing and advocating for one's own ideas)
and inquiry (e.g.,seeking out and listening to the ideas of others).

Question 60

High performing teams attend to the growth needs of all team members.

Question 61

Describe what SMART goals are and provide 3 examples of SMART goals.