Deck 10: Understanding Work Teams

Question 1

The popularity of teams has increased. Today ________ percent of employers indicate that teamwork is a more important skill than it was two years ago.

A) 10
B) 22
C) 35
D) 51
E) 76

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following best describes a work team?

A) Individual efforts result in a greater performance than the sum of group inputs.
B) Group efforts result in a lower performance than the sum of individual inputs.
C) Group efforts result in a greater performance than the sum of individual inputs.
D) Individual efforts result in a greater performance than the sum of individual inputs.
E) Individual efforts result in a lower performance than the sum of individual inputs.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which type of team meets to discuss ways to improve quality, efficiency, and the work environment?

A) self-managed
B) virtual
C) problem-solving
D) cross-functional
E) committee

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following qualities is not found in work groups?

A) energy
B) enthusiasm
C) synergy
D) objectives
E) security

Question 5

Which is not one of the most common types of teams?

A) problem-solving
B) interdepartmental
C) self-managed
D) virtual
E) cross-functional

Question 6

Which of the following is not a reason for the recent popularity of teams?

A) quick assembly and disassembly
B) increased employee motivation
C) efficient use of employee talent
D) slower deployment and refocusing
E) organizational democratization

Question 7

Which of the following is not a difference between work groups and work teams? Work groups ________, and work teams ________.

A) have neutral synergy, have positive synergy
B) rely on independent accountability, rely on mutual and independent accountability
C) require joint efforts, are the summation of the individual contribution
D) have random and varied skills, have complementary skills
E) share information, rely on collective performance

Question 8

Self-managed teams are typically comprised of how many members?

A) 2-5
B) 5-10
C) 8-12
D) 10-15
E) over 100

Question 9

Which of the following types of teams would most likely be assembled to improve the efficiency of a company's production process?

A) cross-functional
B) problem-solving
C) self-managed
D) virtual
E) co-evolving

Question 10

Which of the following types of teams would most likely empower its team members to make work-related decisions?

A) technical
B) self-managed
C) problem-solving
D) management
E) reactive

Question 11

Which of the following statements best defines a work group?

A) The performance of a work group is generally greater than the sum of its inputs from individual members.
B) A work group interacts primarily to share information, rather than to engage in work that requires joint effort.
C) A work group consists of 3 or more people who take on self-supervising responsibilities.
D) A work group consists of 3 or more people from across departmental or functional lines.
E) A work group is a group comprised of 10 or more people.

Question 12

Which of the following helps explain the current popularity of teams? Teams ________.

A) are easier to manage
B) better utilize employee talents
C) are less expensive
D) promote socialization and cohesion
E) greatly increase efficiency

Question 13

Eva is not getting the results she needs from her data base administration team. She believes that part of the problem is that they are a virtual team and that they aren't communicating well. Which of the following is not something that Eva should do to create an effective virtual team?

A) Establish trust among the members.
B) Allow more independence among members.
C) Monitor progress closely.
D) Send team results to each other.
E) Publicize team successes company wide.

Question 14

Which of the following is not true about virtual teams?

A) There is an absence of paraverbal cues.
B) Members are more satisfied with the group interaction process.
C) There is limited social context.
D) They are more task-oriented.
E) Members are more focused on production than on process.

Question 15

________ teams are made up of employees from about the same hierarchical level.

A) Problem-solving
B) Self-managed
C) Cross-functional
D) Multifaceted
E) Star matrix

Question 16

Jillian is project lead for a team that is writing, programming, testing, and performing quality assurance on a new Spanish language software program. Jillian is in Boston where the developing house is located. Her writers are in Spain. Her programmers are in India. Her testers are in Texas. And her quality assurance team is in Argentina. After given clear specifications, each team has authority to make the necessary decisions to complete their task, or send a task back to another part of the team. Which of the following best describes Jillian's team?

A) cross-functional virtual
B) self-managed face-to-face
C) problem-solving virtual
D) problem-solving face-to-face
E) cross-functional face-to-face

Question 17

________ results in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of the individual inputs.

A) Synergy
B) Enthusiasm
C) Energy
D) Initiative
E) Inversion

Question 18

The early stages of development of a cross-functional team are time-consuming because ________.

A) most cross-functional team members are comprised of individuals from similar backgrounds
B) members must research the causes of problems which they are assigned to solve
C) most cross-functional team members have already established trust
D) members have to learn how to perform new functional tasks
E) members must learn to work with diversity and complexity

Question 19

________ teams are an effective way to allow people from diverse areas within an organization to exchange information, develop new ideas and solve problems, and coordinate complex projects.

A) Self-managed
B) Problem-solving
C) Cross-functional
D) Multifaceted
E) Star matrix

Question 20

Which of the following types of teams allows for collaboration between team members who are physically dispersed?

A) local
B) interactive
C) real-time
D) virtual
E) global

Question 21

Which of the following statements best characterizes the use of work teams?

A) Teams are unnecessary if an individual can do the job better.
B) Teams are necessary for encouraging individuals to work independently.
C) Within a company, teams perform best if they are structured similarly.
D) Employees are usually responsible for suggesting that teams be created.
E) In successful companies, teamwork is always preferable to individual work.

Question 22

The abilities of a team's members is essential to success. Which of the following skills is not essential to team success?

A) problem-solving skills
B) technical expertise
C) interpersonal skills
D) artistic skills
E) decision-making skills

Question 23

Leadership is especially important in ________-where different teams need to coordinate their efforts to produce a desired outcome.

A) technical teams
B) self-managed teams
C) problem-solving teams
D) management teams
E) multi-team systems

Question 24

Araceli is a team member in a large corporation. She never speaks in the team meetings because she has seen members talk behind each others' backs outside of the meetings. Members are constantly monitoring the other member's work, looking for a mistake to point out in a meeting. According to the information provided, which contextual factor is most likely hindering the success of Araceli's team?

A) adequate resources
B) climate of trust
C) team structure
D) performance evaluations
E) leadership

Question 25

Which term defines the degree to which members of a work unit share a common demographic attribute and the impact of this attribute on turnover?

A) group demography
B) turnover rate
C) organizational demography
D) work demography
E) department demography

Question 26

To succeed in achieving their goals, teams must ________.

A) have strong leadership
B) have autonomy
C) receive support from management
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 27

In addition to evaluating and rewarding employees for their individual contributions, management should consider using which of the following to reinforce team effort and commitment?

A) personalized incentives
B) consistent wages for all team members
C) individual performance evaluations
D) fixed hourly wages
E) profit sharing

Question 28

To provide teams with adequate resources, a company must supply which of the following?

A) proper equipment
B) adequate staffing
C) encouragement
D) all the above
E) none of the above

Question 29

On her work team, Michelle develops detailed tasks lists and work flow charts to help her team members understand the steps involved in each project. She also maintains the project calendar and receives periodic updates from each team member to ensure that projects are progressing on schedule. Which role does Michelle most likely fill on her team?

A) assessor
B) organizer
C) maintainer
D) creator
E) promoter

Question 30

Evidence tends to suggest that performance across teams will be higher if an organization ________.

A) forms only teams high in conscientiousness
B) forms only teams low in conscientiousness
C) forms both teams high in conscientious and teams low in conscientiousness
D) seeds each team with a few people who score high on conscientiousness
E) seeds each team with a few people who score low on conscientiousness

Question 31

Sharon has an assertive personality and naturally tends to be the one to resolve conflicts with other teams or departments about the team direction. She is a strong defender and is fiercely loyal to the other members on her team. Sharon is most likely suited for which of the following team roles?

A) controller
B) producer
C) maintainer
D) assessor
E) linker

Question 32

One stream of research has identified potential team roles that people prefer to play. The "creator" role is one who ________.

A) champions ideas
B) initiates new ideas
C) provides structure
D) coordinates and integrates
E) manages subordinates

Question 33

Team members with good listening, feedback, and conflict resolution skills possess ________.

A) technical expertise
B) problem-solving skills
C) decision-making skills
D) interpersonal skills
E) cognitive appraisal skills

Question 34

Which of the following is not one of the nine potential team roles identified for successful teams?

A) organizer
B) allocator
C) controller
D) maintainer
E) promoter

Question 35

Which of the following is not one of the key components of effective teams?

A) effective work design
B) recognized company identity
C) supportive contextual influences
D) defined team processes and goals
E) appropriate team membership

Question 36

What types of people are valuable in teams because they're good at backing up fellow team members and at sensing when that support is truly needed?

A) conscientious people
B) extroverted people
C) introverted people
D) agreeable people
E) open people

Question 37

In a ________ team the manager's job becomes managing outside the team.

A) technical
B) self-managed
C) problem-solving
D) management
E) reactive

Question 38

Upon adjournment of the team meeting, Lawrence immediately went to his work space and wrote an e-mail summarizing the new ideas and goals that the team has developed. He sent the e-mail to each team member, as well as to other teams that will eventually work on the material, and all related supervisors. At lunch in the cafeteria Lawrence chatted with his friends about the meeting and responded to some of their concerns about the new ideas. Which team role best characterizes Lawrence?

A) maintainer
B) promoter
C) controller
D) creator
E) adviser

Question 39

You find that in a team situation you prefer to be the one who examines details and is concerned with enforcing rules and regulations. Your role is that of the ________.

A) maintainer
B) linker
C) controller
D) promoter
E) assessor

Question 40

There are four contextual factors that appear to be most significantly related to team performance. Which of the following is not one of those factors?

A) adequate resources
B) work autonomy
C) effective leadership
D) a performance evaluation and reward system that reflects team contributions
E) All of the above are contextual factors.

Question 41

Effective teams have confidence in themselves and believe they can succeed. This confidence is termed ________.

A) social facilitation
B) goal congruence
C) social loafing
D) team efficacy
E) self serving bias

Question 42

Which of the following is most likely to increase team efficacy?

A) providing measurable goals
B) helping the team achieve small successes
C) limiting time spent in training
D) ensuring that team goals are challenging
E) reducing the number of members on a team

Question 43

Coasting on the group effort is termed ________.

A) inconsistency
B) incompetence
C) social loafing
D) dysfunction
E) half-focus bias

Question 44

Evidence shows that teams that switch from a competitive to a cooperative system do not ________.

A) make rushed decisions
B) make poor decisions
C) share information
D) have conflicts
E) distrust each other

Question 45

A team that has a good plan, but is also willing to adjust their master plan and adapt when conditions call for it demonstrates high ________, an important variable in successful team processes.

A) goal specificity
B) goal congruency
C) social loafing
D) diversity
E) reflexivity

Question 46

Team members that help other team members should be rewarded for their efforts. Which of the following is not something that team members can do to help other team members?

A) help resolve team conflicts
B) train new colleagues
C) share information
D) master new skills
E) create competition

Question 47

According to a recent study, in which of the following places do employees report the highest levels of teamwork?

A) United States
B) Canada
C) Asia-Pacific
D) Mexico
E) Finland

Question 48

Process variables include all of the following except ________.

A) climate of trust
B) member commitment to a common purpose
C) team efficacy
D) minimized social loafing
E) specific goals

Question 49

Which of the following strategies would managers find least helpful for turning individuals into team players?

A) selecting appropriate candidates
B) setting goals
C) providing training
D) rewarding cooperative efforts
E) encouraging mentorship

Question 50

A person who is not a team player lacks various team skills that can be improved through training. Which of the following is not a typical team skill that would need improving?

A) communication
B) negotiation
C) responsibility
D) conflict-management
E) coaching

Question 51

Teams aren't always the best choice to get a job done. They can often be more costly than individual work. Which of the following is not a cost of teamwork, compared to individual work?

A) decreased meeting obligations
B) increased time costs
C) more required resources
D) high communication demands
E) conflict management needs

Question 52

Your company is considering implementing work teams in your Vietnam facility. You should find this relatively easy because those employees will have strong ________ values.

A) acculturation
B) collectivist
C) creative
D) cultural
E) capitalistic

Question 53

You need to hire an analyst for an important project team. It is essential that the new employee work well on the already established team in order to meet the project's challenging deadlines. The most talented candidate doesn't have any team experience and when asked in the interview about his team experience he replied, "I prefer to work alone. I'm much more efficient alone." What should you do?

A) Hire him and train him.
B) Hire him and hope that he learns.
C) Hire him and redesign the job.
D) Look for a different candidate.
E) Look for a different project.

Question 54

Which type of conflict is almost always dysfunctional?

A) task conflict
B) efficacy conflict
C) relationship conflict
D) resource conflict
E) social conflict

Question 55

Alberto's team is evaluating and developing the data base for the water pollution data of three cities. He wants his team to have total efficacy. Which of the following actions can Alberto take to increase team efficacy before the project starts?

A) plan an interpersonal retreat for members in which they must work together to achieve a goal
B) make sure that his team is not comprised of more than nine people
C) spend considerable time evaluating team members and allocating proper roles for each
D) provide training for the client's software and database training for the weakest team members
E) establish a rewards system based on individual achievement as well as group incentives

Question 56

Exercises that help individuals become team players include workshops in ________.

A) negotiation
B) individualism
C) goal setting
D) event planning
E) recruiting

Question 57

The most effective teams tend to have ________ members.

A) 3 to 5
B) 5 to 15
C) less than 10
D) 10 to 20
E) more than 20

Question 58

Which of the following is not a method to determine whether or not to use a team for a project?

A) Determine the complexity of the work.
B) Analyze reward options.
C) Analyze the project's goals.
D) Determine interdependence of the task objectives.
E) Analyze the common purpose.

Question 59

When teams are under acute stress, they are particularly likely to have ________.

A) inaccurate mental models
B) high self efficacy
C) relationship conflict
D) resource conflict
E) high reflexivity

Question 60

If a team's members have similar mental models, what will they likely do?

A) loaf on others' efforts
B) demonstrate high reflexivity
C) display low self efficacy
D) become involved in relationship conflict
E) focus on what needs to be done

Question 61

Establishing teams provides an effective means for increasing democratic practices within an organization.

Question 62

Membership on virtual teams is usually restricted to employees living within the same country.

Question 63

In countries, such as Mexico, where ________ is high, self-managed teams are not usually productive or successful.

A) power distance
B) population
C) collectivism
D) individualism
E) diversity

Question 64

One advantage of cross-functional teams is that they are easy to manage.

Question 65

Turnover rates are higher for self-managed work teams than for employees working in traditional work structures.

Question 66

Work groups typically generate more positive synergy than do work teams.

Question 67

The role of the "linker" describes the person within the work team who coordinates and integrates the work of team members.

Question 68

Diversity is an asset for teams where tasks ________.

A) require a variety of viewpoints
B) are more difficult to solve
C) require interpersonal solutions
D) are highly technical
E) prohibit social loafing

Question 69

Your analytical skills are very good and you enjoy the role of integrating creative ideas for your group. You will find that you are most effective in the role of the "promoter."

Question 70

Susan is well organized and enjoys providing structure for the group. Her role within the work team may be described as the "maintainer."

Question 71

Only one-third of employees from ________ would likely say their organization has a high level of teamwork.

A) Canada
B) Japan
C) Mexico
D) Indonesia
E) the United States

Question 72

Cross-functional teams are made up of employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task.

Question 73

You are a member of a team of eight individuals from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment. You are most likely a member of a self-managed work team.

Question 74

As a result of self-managed teams, supervisory positions may be eliminated.

Question 75

Compared to traditional departments, teams tend to be less flexible and less responsive to changing events.

Question 76

Cross-functional teams are very effective for coordinating highly complex projects.

Question 77

To perform effectively, a team requires three different types of skills: technical expertise, problem-solving and decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.

Question 78

"Social loafing" is most likely to occur within a team whenever one team member's contributions are invisible to the rest of the team.

Question 79

The extensive use of teams creates the potential for an organization to generate greater outputs with no increase in inputs.

Question 80

Work teams produce final results that exceed the sum of individual team member inputs.