Deck 2: Performance and Productivity

Question 1

Which of the following is true about how stress and pressure can affect individual performance?

A) Performance improves only for tasks that require high motivation.
B) Performance on a well-learned task improves.
C) Performance on a novel task improves.
D) Stress never enhances performance.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A number of factors must be in place for a team to perform well. All of the following are considered essential for team effectiveness EXCEPT the:

A) knowledge and skill regarding the team task.
B) motivation to accomplish the goals of the team.
C) ability to identify the different personality styles of team members.
D) ability to coordinate effort and communicate well with others.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Goal contagion is a form of norm setting in which people adopt a goal held by others. Goal contagion is more likely in what circumstance?

A) When the team desires or admires a goal held by a competing team
B) Between people in the same work group or team
C) Adopted when a team member wishes to differentiate themselves from the group
D) A person feels threatened by other members of the team to adopt a certain goal.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Teams ideally need a supportive organizational context - one that recognizes and welcomes their existence, and responds to their requests for information, resources, and action as well as legitimizes the team's task. Of the following, which is a component of team design?

A) Organizational reporting relationships
B) Functional units
C) The leadership style within the team
D) The reward system

Question 5

The organizational context, team design, and team culture are three important aspects that affect the ultimate performance of a team. Which of these three aspects does a leader have the most control over?

A) The organizational context
B) Team design
C) Team culture
D) All three about equally

Question 6

A team norm is best described as:

A) the personality of the team.
B) a generally agreed upon set of rules that guides the behavior of team members.
C) a goal held by the group that is adopted by a newcomer.
D) the normal number of people to be on a given team.

Question 7

Regarding Csikszentmihalyi's model of Flow, when a person is very low in skill ability, and the task is high in complexity, what emotional state might this person experience?

A) Control
B) Flow
C) Anxiety
D) Inspiration

Question 8

The social loafing effect refers to the tendency for:

A) people in teams to let others make mistakes instead of telling them what to do.
B) teams to take longer to complete a task than individuals.
C) teams to be more creative than individuals, but experience more conflict.
D) people not to work as hard in teams as they would if they were working individually.

Question 9

The belief that a group has in themselves, or their group potency, a significant predictor of actual performance. This "thinking we can", contributes to group performance more than the __________.

A) team norms
B) diversity of team members
C) pure cognitive abilities of the team
D) individual, positive illusion biases

Question 10

If you detect a free rider on your team, the best way to remedy the situation is to:

A) stop carpooling with members of the team.
B) increase the identifiability of that person's work products through performance reviews.
C) increase the size of the team.
D) decrease the difficulty of the team task.

Question 11

The positive illusion bias, or unwarranted beliefs in one's own superiority, can wreak havoc in teams. Why?

A) Individuals believe their contributions will not be sufficient to justify their efforts.
B) Individuals with this bias are interested in vastly different team goals than that of their other teammates.
C) Individuals who see themselves as above average are likely to engage in social loafing because they have a false sense of the value of their contributions.
D) Individuals with this bias always have a high sense of the Protestant Work Ethic.

Question 12

In a team, a person's efforts are less identifiable than when that person works independently. Because the person's efforts are less identifiable, in extreme circumstances this can lead to __________.

A) relational loss - or when an employee perceives that support is less available as team size increases.
B) choking under pressure - a person's performance declines despite incentives for optimal performance.
C) a positive illusion bias - or unwarranted beliefs in one's own superiority.
D) deindividuation - a psychological state in which a person does not feel individual responsibility.

Question 13

Which of the following actions by the team or their leadership can result in reduced team performance?

A) The team leader promotes an intrinsically interesting or challenging project.
B) The team leader rewards a team member with a clock for his or her hours of overtime spent in the service of a team's project.
C) The team shares, and mutually sets, their own performance goals.
D) Team leaders increase team size so that more employees get an opportunity to contribute to the project.

Question 14

Team culture refers to the:

A) personality of a team.
B) ethnic origin of the team members.
C) extent to which team members are polite and respectful to one another.
D) geographical location of the team.

Question 15

When the least capable member of a team feels particularly indispensable for group success, the entire group works harder to achieve their goals. This effect is best termed:

A) team identifiability.
B) positive illusion bias.
C) social striving effect.
D) relational loss.

Question 16

The Kohler Effect refers to the observation that:

A) members work harder in a team than they do alone under some conditions.
B) members don't work as hard in a team as they do alone under some conditions.
C) people work less hard in smaller groups than they do in larger groups.
D) people work harder when they are in a flow state.

Question 17

In regards to expertise, critical skills for team members include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) conflict resolution.
B) collaborative problem solving.
C) a large network of influential company contacts.
D) a strong ability to communicate effectively.

Question 18

The positive illusion bias refers to:

A) people who believe themselves to be superior and more talented than others on their team.
B) people who work harder for the team hoping to improve the overall team's reputation within the larger organizational context.
C) managers who convey a positive attitude in order to positively influence their team's group mood.
D) a team member who has positive news to share about the group's task in hopes that it will spur morale and increase productivity.

Question 19

When in the psychologic state of "Flow", which of the following is the most true?

A) A person is keenly aware of the time they are spending on the task at hand.
B) For the individual, the process of engaging in the task is its own reinforcement.
C) A person is intimidated by the task.
D) A person is extremely relaxed, and very comfortable with the task at hand.

Question 20

Which of the following situations demonstrates the best example of social facilitation?

A) Mary, who is a new member of the ballet class, is asked to demonstrate a step sequence for the senior members of the company. Mary is concerned that her technique will not be up to par with the rest of the team.
B) John is an excellent lead dancer, and when learning a new routine, loses track of time because he is so engaged in his task.
C) Sonya is an up and coming dancer, and her teacher puts quite a bit of pressure on her to perform perfectly. In her dance recital, despite weeks of rehearsals, Sonya's mind goes blank, and she can't remember her routine.
D) Julia is a strong dancer, and when asked to demonstrate her solo to a room full of classmates, her performance is more energetic, and her leaps are higher.

Question 21

Execution is the ability of teams to communicate effectively and combine their efforts. All of the following can enhance team execution EXCEPT:

A) training team members together.
B) practice and rehearsal.
C) setting clear performance standards.
D) increasing the size of the team.

Question 22

Regarding team performance, leaders can more easily control ________than ________.

A) team Integration; team separation
B) performance threats; synergies
C) team cohesion; resources
D) the demands of a task; the process of accomplishing a task

Question 23

The team performance equation attempts to predict the actual productivity of a team. It states that the AP actual productivity) of a team equals:

A) the potential productivity of a team, plus team synergies, minus team threats.
B) the potential productivity of a team, plus team culture, minus free-riding.
C) the potential productivity of a team, plus task design, plus team culture.
D) cohesion, plus learning, plus integration.

Question 24

Which of the following performance criteria are used to evaluate the success of a team?

A) Productivity
B) Financial profit
C) Diversity
D) Rewards

Question 25

As team size gets larger and larger, team members perceive that there is less support available, and freeriding increases. This experience can lead to:

A) diminished motivation.
B) lower performance.
C) greater cohesion between team members.
D) both a and b.