Deck 6: Working and Writing in Teams

Question 1

A member of your team has suddenly complained, during a meeting, that no one is adequately listening to her insights.As team leader, you feel a responsibility to respond; you ask, "Are you saying that the team is making decisions too quickly, without enough discussion?" Which of the following conflict resolution strategies have you used?

A)Paraphrasing
B)Checking for feelings
C)Checking for inferences
D)Including you-attitude

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to a Microsoft survey, which of the following tops the list of meeting time-wasters?

A)Long agendas
B)Omnibus motions
C)Diverse teams
D)Unclear objectives

Answer 2

D

Question 3

You are in charge of running a meeting of 40 people for which you have 15 items on the agenda for a 2 hour time period.What can you do to help ensure that you finish on time?

A)Dispense with minutes.
B)Stifle dissent if possible.
C)Use an omnibus motion if possible.
D)Try to cover some of the items only implicitly.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following people would MOST likely be considered a leader by the members of a team?

A)A person who nods pleasantly throughout the meeting when anyone makes a comment B) A person who is confident that he/she has all the best ideas, and expresses that confidence to other team members
B)A person who is always willing to run the team by giving orders, making demands, and doing all the talking
C)A person who talks a lot, listens effectively, and responds non-verbally to others in the group

Question 5

Ibrahim has complained to you privately about the other members of the team that you're both on: "No one seems to understand what a deadline is!" You respond, "You sound really anxious." Which conflict resolution strategy have you used?

A)Paraphrasing
B)Checking for feelings
C)Checking for inferences
D)Including you-attitude

Question 6

Which of the following is a significant danger of groupthink?

A)Too many alternatives will emerge, making it impossible to come to a consensus.
B)A full range of alternatives never emerges, resulting in a poor decision.
C)Each person will believe that he or she is right, making it impossible to agree.
D)The group will take longer to reach a decision than is necessary.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a blocking response?

A)Interrogating
B)Asking for information or clarification
C)Advising
D)Minimizing the problem

Question 8

Sarah's team is in the second week of information-sharing meetings.Which stage of team formation is her team likely in?

A)Orientation
B)Formation
C)Coordination
D)Formalization

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of successful student teams?

A)Subgroups make decisions
B)The leader sets clear deadlines
C)The team can explain its goal
D)The team addresses conflict directly

Question 10

Moshe's team has just discovered that, after several months' work, they all agree on the solution to the problem.Which stage of team formation is his team likely in?

A)Orientation
B)Formation
C)Coordination
D)Formalization

Question 11

When someone complains about a problem, is it a good idea to quickly suggest a solution?

A)Yes, because a quick suggestion shows you think quickly.
B)Yes, because offering a solution shows that you care about the other person.
C)No, because the other person needs his/her feelings acknowledged before discussing a solution.
D)No, because the other person wants action, not words.

Question 12

Your subordinates tell you that a project will not be completed on time because they are behind schedule.Which of the following is the best response?

A)"You should have told me sooner."
B)"What's wrong with you people? Don't you know what a deadline is?"
C)"If it isn't on my desk by Friday, I'll fire every one of you."
D)"Could you finish it if you had some more help?"

Question 13

Yixin's team has just chosen her as its leader.Which stage of team formation is her team likely in?

A)Orientation
B)Formation
C)Coordination
D)Formalization

Question 14

You are in a student team composed of seven members that is working on a term project.The team has fractured into two groups, both of which seem to have very different goals.Which of the following strategies is the best way to handle this situation?

A)Delegate each decision to one of the two groups, alternating which one is chosen, so that both groups have control over some aspects of the project.
B)Allow the more energetic and committed group to direct the project.
C)Keep trying to actively engage each team member.
D)Suppress the conflict, and try to move forward together.

Question 15

Which of the following options is NOT a factor that you should consider when you plan a meeting?

A)Whether some participants will need to connect remotely
B)Deadlines that may reduce scheduling options
C)How well participants know each other
D)Whether the participants are suitably homogeneous

Question 16

A subordinate comes to you because he is upset with treatment he receives from co-workers.Which of the following would be a good first response?

A)Tell him to solve his own problems.
B)Tell him that there are far more important things to worry about.
C)Give him some advice on how to handle the situation.
D)Acknowledge his feelings.

Question 17

Which of the following revisions of "You give me too much work to do" BEST conveys you-attitude?

A)"You've got to cut down on my work load."
B)"Why can't you just lighten up a little? You're always on my back."
C)"If you could just see the amount of work on my desk, you wouldn't be asking me to do this extra project."
D)"I feel really over-loaded.I need someone to help me on this project."

Question 18

You are in a group that feels very cohesive, so cohesive that it seems to agree readily at every step of a project without any lengthy discussion or conflict.Sometimes you don't agree with decisions, but you don't say anything because you don't want to destroy the group's harmony.Which of the following is the most probable situation?

A)One person in the group has such good ideas that no one can disagree with that person.
B)No one in the group can think of any really good reasons NOT to adopt the ready-made decision.
C)Members of the group value agreement so much that dissenters feel incapable of speaking out.
D)The decisions made are bad, but no one really cares.

Question 19

Which of the following options is NOT good advice for teams that need to collaboratively write?

A)If a discussion went well, assume that a draft written by one person will suffice for that stage of the writing process.
B)Take time to get to know each other and build loyalty before starting to write.
C)Attend all meetings.
D)Give the team lots of time to discuss problems, in addition to the time devoted to writing tasks.

Question 20

Which of the following strategies is likely to lead to a successful collaborative writing project?

A)Assume that everyone has a common understanding of the problem.
B)Determine organization, format, and style options while team members are writing, so that these conventions evolve organically.
C)Consider the team members' work styles and other commitments.
D)Determine tight deadlines, in order to keep everyone on task.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a good strategy for active listening?

A)Make a list of questions you have before the discussion.
B)At the end of the conversation, check your understanding of it with the other person.
C)Wait a while after the conversation, in order internalize it, and then summarize what you remember of it.
D)Cue yourself to pay attention to answers to your questions.

Question 22

It's never appropriate to criticize another team member's ideas, no matter how strongly you disagree with them.

Question 23

Active listening can reduce conflict, but won't always eliminate it.

Question 24

If the group doesn't formally vote, the leader should summarize the group's consensus after each point.

Question 25

Reducing conflict in a team sometimes means realizing that team members are not responsible for each other's happiness.

Question 26

In groups suffering from groupthink, members may go along with a solution they know is wrong.

Question 27

Which of the following is an aspect of good minutes?

A)They should record only the items covered, not the votes or decisions that followed each item.
B)If the meeting is informal, minutes should still keep a record of action items.
C)Headings aren't necessary.
D)Minutes should not record who was present or absent, but only what was discussed.

Question 28

Joking and suggesting breaks are always negative influences in a group because they take the group off task.

Question 29

In order to productively listen, you need to pay attention to nonverbal cues.

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT something a group should do when it plans a collaborative writing project?

A)Divide the work ahead of time according to how the leader thinks it will best be done.
B)Make your analysis of the problem, the audience, and your purpose explicit so that you know where you agree and disagree.
C)Build some leeway into the deadlines to accommodate late contributions.
D)Consider your work styles and other commitments.

Question 31

To resolve conflict, focus on personality differences and team members' happiness, rather than on performance.

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a component of a good agenda?

A)An indication of whether each item is presented for information, for discussion, or for a decision
B)Who is sponsoring or introducing each item
C)How much time is allotted for each item
D)The preferred action or decision for each item

Question 33

Clowning is a good way to relieve tension and get the team back on track.

Question 34

Good agendas indicate not just the topics to be covered, but also whether each topic is presented for information, discussion, or a decision.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a positive aspect of wikis?

A)They are good vehicles for stable, long-term information storage.
B)They can be useful for discussing controversial topics.
C)They are helpful project management tools.
D)They don't typically require intense information technology support.

Question 36

Teleconferencing, videoconferencing, Skype, instant messaging and electronic meetings have replaced the need for face-to-face meetings.

Question 37

Successful student teams appoint a leader who will make decisions on his/her own; this strategy supports success because it saves time and promotes efficiency.

Question 38

If you need to have a long meeting, try to avoid networking and "small talk" among members, in order to get everything finished as quickly as possible.

Question 39

In conflict, repeatedly referring to "you" shows good you-attitude.

Question 40

Avoiding conflict promotes group cohesion and participation.

Question 41

Most people find that composing in a team is faster than composing alone.

Question 42

If the writing style must be consistent in a group report, different writers cannot draft different parts of the report.

Question 43

_____ responses, such as nods, "uh huhs," and frowns, help convey the message that you're listening.

Question 44

According to Rebecca Burnett, student groups that do not voice disagreements during the writing process produce significantly better documents.

Question 45

The _____ phase is the time in the life of a team when members meet and begin to define their task.

Question 46

If a meeting will have more than one purpose (e.g.conveying information and creating a document), those purposes should be made explicit.

Question 47

Teams should avoid openly discussing interpersonal conflicts.

Question 48

_____ is the phase in which a team seeks consensus.

Question 49

_____ means perceiving sounds; _____ means decoding and interpreting them correctly.

Question 50

The __________ phase is the time in the life of a team when conflicts may arise as the team chooses a leader and defines the problem.

Question 51

Polite listening is useful and productive.

Question 52

_____ messages focus on people, promoting friendliness, cooperation, and team loyalty.

Question 53

_____ messages focus on content: the problem, data, and possible solutions.

Question 54

To ____________ means to repeat in your own words what someone else has said to you; it can be useful for conflict resolution.

Question 55

People in low-context cultures are often impatient with listening.

Question 56

Setting ground rules for the group before you begin working on actual tasks can make the group operate more effectively.

Question 57

If they are practicing _____, receivers actively demonstrate that they've heard and understood a speaker by feeding back either the literal meaning or the emotional content or both.

Question 58

________-attitude means looking at things from the audience's point of view.

Question 59

Task checklists are useful for keeping advice to team members impersonal.

Question 60

When resolving conflict, paraphrasing is a method of subtly manipulating others' points in the direction you need them to go.

Question 61

Identify five strategies that are forms of active listening responses, and explain why they constitute active listening.

Question 62

_____ record each motion in a meeting and the vote on it.

Question 63

Being silent in meetings, not helping, or not attending meetings is known as ____________.

Question 64

_______________ is a useful way for large groups to choose priorities quickly, using stickers.

Question 65

Identify three strategies that can help you avoid listening errors caused by inattention, and explain why they are useful.

Question 66

Identify the four stages in the life of a team, and explain the typical characteristics of each stage.

Question 67

What are the steps in the standard agenda, and why do they help guard against groupthink?

Question 68

The _____ is a seven-step process for solving problems.

Question 69

Explain how active listening facilitates communication.

Question 70

List two methods that can help groups guard against groupthink, and explain why these methods work.

Question 71

A(n) __________ leader sets the agenda for a meeting, makes sure that everyone knows what's due for the next meeting, communicates with absent team members, and checks to be sure that assignments are carried out.

Question 72

Give three suggestions for promoting successful team writing, and explain why these suggestions work.

Question 73

List four constructive ways to respond to criticism and promote conflict resolution, and give an example of each one.

Question 74

_____ is the tendency for groups to put such a high premium on agreement that they directly or indirectly punish dissent.

Question 75

Explain why self-confidence is not always the best attribute in successful team players.

Question 76

In _____ meetings, motions must be made before a topic can be debated, and each point is settled by a vote.

Question 77

When you check for _____, you identify the implied meaning of the verbal and non-verbal content of criticism and try to understand why the critic is bothered.

Question 78

Repeatedly disagreeing with ideas the team proposes is known as ______________.

Question 79

Identify three strategies that can help reduce the number of conflicts in a group, and explain why they work.

Question 80

_____ listening is listening that is mechanical and inattentive.