Deck 4: Designing the Team: Tasks, People, and Processes

Question 1

Creating diverse teams is a challenge. All of the following are important steps to include in a plan for increasing team diversity EXCEPT:

A) the organization should publicly commit to valuing diversity.
B) the organization should solicit ideas and best practices on how to diversify.
C) the organization should educate members on the advantages of diversity.
D) the organization should build diversity at the lowest entry levels of the organization rather than at the governing level.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Clearly defined goals are the essence of great teamwork. Which of the following statements is the best answer about how goals should be articulated by teams:

A) goals should not be clearly articulated, but rather members should be free to interpret them creatively.
B) goals should be complex, and contain several objectives.
C) goals should be simple and specify ends, but not means.
D) goals should be simple and specify means, but not ends.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Teams, whose members share egalitarian values, or a desire to create a shared sense of members, develop ________ interdependent task approaches. In contrast, teams whose members hold meritocratic values, or are motivated to demonstrate their unique abilities to other group members, develop ________ interdependent task approaches.

A) high; low
B) low; high
C) early; late
D) late; early

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Teams permitted to plan between periods or task completion __________ than those teams that plan only during periods of task completion. Teams that participate in planning periodically throughout their task completion process refer to this type of task planning as __________.

A) perform worse; preplanning
B) perform better; online planning
C) create more ideas; goal-directed planning
D) stay motivated longer; preplanning

Question 5

The dominant feature of tactical teams is __________; the dominant feature of problem-solving teams is __________; the dominant feature of creative teams is __________.

A) expertise; training; communication
B) training; expertise; communication
C) trust; clarity; autonomy
D) clarity; trust; autonomy

Question 6

To perform effectively, teams need to adapt their roles when faced with conflict. With respect to team goal orientation, which orientation type is the most adaptable when goals shift and change?

A) High-performance orientation
B) High-learning orientation
C) High-training orientation
D) High-service orientation

Question 7

In a diverse team, a "fault-line" refers to cases in which:

A) a team tends to find fault or blame in the other team members rather than their own behavior.
B) group members fall into two distinct, non-overlapping subgroups usually based on demographic characteristics such as male vice-presidents and female clerical workers).
C) group members make more extreme judgments of demographically dissimilar group members than is actually warranted.
D) a homogenous group does not allow a diverse member to join the group.

Question 8

A person with a high-performance orientation with respect to goals, such as a professional speaker, is more likely to desire:

A) to gain favorable judgments of performance, or avoid negative judgments of competence.
B) to understand something novel, or to increase mental competence in a task.
C) credit for work done independently.
D) difficult tasks.

Question 9

Of the following examples, which one best describes a demonstrable task?

A) A scientist theorizes about the size of a particle.
B) A house is built according to blueprints.
C) A group of students brainstorm solutions for a new product.
D) A consulting team outlines a high-level strategy for a client.

Question 10

For team coaching to be effective, several conditions need to be present. Which of the following is one of those conditions?

A) The organization constrains and strictly controls the performance processes essential for team success.
B) The team is formed haphazardly and has sparse support within the organization.
C) Team expertise, engagement, and method of execution are unconstrained by task or organizational requirements.
D) Coaching interventions are required to be introduced and incorporated from the start of the team interaction.

Question 11

When it comes to how a team is designed i.e., members, communication, goals, norms, etc…) and team leadership, which of the following statements is most true based upon the studies from the Xerox customer-service teams?

A) For optimal performance, it is more important to have a well-designed team than a team with a good leader.
B) For optimal performance, it is more important to have an excellent leader than a well-designed team.
C) Both team design and leadership are equally important.
D) Well-designed teams tend to sabotage leaders.

Question 12

A situational example of a script is:

A) a new team member doesn't have enough time to complete all the tasks assigned to him or her that day.
B) two team members work on the pacing and wording of their presentation to a client.
C) a new team member demonstrates some of his or her unique work skills to an established team member.
D) two team members go to lunch with a client. The team members have rehearsed who will bring up what business-appropriate subjects to the client.

Question 13

A cardiac surgery team is an example of a __________ team; the Sandia Nuclear Weapons laboratory team is an example of a __________ team.

A) problem-solving; creative
B) tactical; creative
C) problem-solving; tactical
D) tactical; problem-solving

Question 14

Which of the following can be a drawback of "backing up" behavior?

A) Team member neglects his or her own task work.
B) Task motivation increases.
C) Pooled interdependence
D) Task work capacity increases in subsequent tasks.

Question 15

With regard to the question of team size i.e., how big the team should be), all of the following are true EXCEPT:

A) most of the time, teams should be fewer than 10 members.
B) managers tend to make teams too large.
C) it is wise to compose teams using the smallest number of people who can do the task.
D) larger teams are more cohesive, and want to stay together.

Question 16

There are many types of interdependence in a team. A team of people independently selling cookies door to door, and then combining their total profits is an example of __________; a team of people on an assembly line making an automobile is an example of __________.

A) pooled interdependence; sequential interdependence
B) pooled interdependence; reciprocal interdependence
C) cooperative interdependence; competitive interdependence
D) tactical interdependence; problem-solving interdependence

Question 17

Of the following types of skills, which one is least important to consider when selecting members for a team?

A) Technical skills
B) Intuitive skills
C) Task-management skills
D) Interpersonal skills

Question 18

When a team norm is violated, what is the most common first response of the affected team?

A) Ostracize the individual
B) Physical aggression
C) Verbal aggression
D) Persuade the person to change their behavior

Question 19

High levels of task interdependence, which require frequent interactions among group members to obtain resources, can:

A) make the team less tolerant of project errors.
B) enhance performance productivity.
C) decrease team cohesion.
D) be slower to generate problem solutions.

Question 20

Norms are the unwritten rules that specify appropriate and expected behavior in teams. Which of the following statements is the best answer regarding norms in a team?

A) It is best to impose norms of behavior on a team, rather than empowering the team to develop its own norms over time.
B) Norms take time to develop in a team, and emerge slowly as the team matures.
C) Many norms develop within the first few minutes of a team's first meeting.
D) The most competent and respected individuals dictate the norms for the team.

Question 21

A situational example of team coaching is a:

A) product team holds a meeting to discuss product messaging and brand before a new product is announced in the press.
B) team discusses a competitor's brand strategy.
C) manager personally coordinates the work of their team.
D) manager negotiates the acquisition of resources for their team.

Question 22

Coaching that focuses on ability, knowledge, and skill, such as training on a particular negotiation strategy, is __________ in nature; coaching that focuses on how to best enhance employee involvement, such as outlining goals and target dates, is __________ in nature.

A) motivational; cohesive
B) collective; performance-focused
C) preplanned; integrative
D) educational; motivational