Deck 15: Virtual Teams

Question 1

Members of virtual groups are more anonymous, which leads to _____, a loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension.

A)Polarization.
B)Conformity.
C)Social loafing.
D)Deindividuation.
E)Grouping.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The secondary effects of a technology:

A)Have less social impacts than the primary effects.
B)Are the unanticipated social effects.
C)Are the hidden resource costs of the technology.
D)Are relatively easy to predict in advance.
E)None of the above are true.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Research on student groups shows that _____ are reduced in virtual groups.

A)Status differences.
B)Stress levels.
C)Performance levels.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The use of electronic communications technology tends to:

A)Increase the importance of status differences among communicators.
B)Reduce the need to establish communication norms.
C)Reduce conformity pressure in group decisions.
D)Decrease the sense of participation in an organization.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 5

A videoconference is an example of a ______ type of meeting.

A)STSP.
B)STDP.
C)DTSP.
D)DTDP.
E)PTSD.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a way for technology to support teamwork?

A)Gather and present information.
B)Help team members communicate both internally and externally.
C)Help teams process information.
D)Help teams resolve conflicts.
E)Help teams process information.

Question 7

The level of uncertainty in the task increases the importance of ________ in the communication method.

A)Speed.
B)Reach.
C)Richness.
D)Ability to document messages.
E)Social presence.

Question 8

Research suggest that virtual teams often outperform face-to-face teams.

Question 9

Disadvantages of the virtual team to individual members include:

A)Isolation.
B)Increased miscommunication.
C)Increased conflict.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.

Question 10

Compared to face-to-face communications, electronic mail communication is:

A)Richer.
B)Faster.
C)More interactive.
D)Has a higher "social presence".
E)All of the above are true.

Question 11

When members and teams are_____________, overall performance of virtual teams as compared to face-to-face teams tend to be similar.

A)New.
B)Stressed.
C)Conflicted.
D)Experienced.
E)Cohesive.

Question 12

Which of the following tasks is NOT suited for virtual teams?

A)Negotiation.
B)Idea generation.
C)Problem-solving.
D)Brainstorming.
E)Information gathering.

Question 13

A face-to-face meeting is an example of a ______ type of meeting.

A)STSP.
B)STDP.
C)DTSP.
D)DTDP.
E)PTSD.

Question 14

Axley (1996) uses the following four criteria for evaluating communication methods:

A)Speed, reach, interactivity, richness.
B)Reach, interactivity, richness, social presence.
C)Speed, interactivity, richness, and ability to document messages..
D)Reach, richness, social presence, and ability to document messages.
E)Interactivity, richness, social presence, and ability to document messages.

Question 15

Compared to face-to-face groups, virtual groups tend to:

A)Have much higher productivity.
B)Be more task focused.
C)Have more problems acting creatively.
D)Have less equal participation in decision making.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a major function of electronic group communication systems?

A)Communicating with outside groups and organizations.
B)Increasing personalization of the work environment.
C)Structuring the group's communications.
D)Allowing group members to communicate with each other.
E)Providing access to information databases.

Question 17

Which of the following is about virtual teams?

A)Virtuality is a matter of degree; there is a continuum from face-to-face to fully virtual teams.
B)Most virtual teams have some face-to-face contact..
C)Most large companies use virtual teams to some degree.
D)The goals of virtual teams are related to the direct effects of technology.
E)The impact of technology on teams does not depend on individual member differences.

Question 18

In what four ways can communication and collaboration technologies be used to support team work?

Question 19

A virtual team is any team mediated by:

A)Time.
B)Distance.
C)Technology.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above.

Question 20

The various types of meetings created by communication technology vary in terms of:

A)Time and place.
B)Time and distance.
C)Place and structure.
D)Structure and creativity.
E)Structure and cost.

Question 21

Richness in the communications technology is important for uncertain tasks.

Question 22

A team may be considered virtual only if it never meets face-to-face.

Question 23

Since team members are dispersed, there is no need for leadership on virtual teams.

Question 24

The availability of technology really means face-to-face meetings are no longer necessary or important.

Question 25

Virtual teams perform better at negotiation tasks than do face-to-face teams.

Question 26

One of the major advantages of virtual teams is the anonymity offered to members, which decreases conformity and evaluation apprehension, thereby increasing openness of ideas.

Question 27

When selecting a new type of communication technology, it is important to remember that:

A)The more powerful (rich) technology is usually the best.
B)One type of communication technology should be used in all parts of the organization.
C)The right communication technology depends on the situational context.
D)Communication technology effects only the formal communication system.
E)Most new communication technologies are easily adopted by users.True/False

Question 28

Videoconferencing, because of its richness, is very useful for all tasks.

Question 29

The two major challenges facing virtual teams are dealing with communications problems and resistance to technology.

Question 30

During decision-making, virtual teams, as compared to face-to-face teams, are more likely to:

A)Focus on emotions of members.
B)Exchange information.
C)Focus on social characteristics of group members.
D)Be distracted by irrelevant social information.
E)Share unique information .