Deck 3: Groups, teams, and Powerful Meetings

Question 1

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of a homogeneous group?

A) A homogeneous group is most suitable for complex, creative tasks.
B) A homogeneous group has broader skills and knowledge compared to heterogeneous groups.
C) The members of a homogeneous group have a lot in common.
D) The members of a homogeneous group can examine a problem from different points of view.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

At Connie's Construction Company,over fifty permanent work groups,consisting of diverse members,work together to build an entire plant.These work groups have the authority to hire new employees,decide how to run their own projects,and accept budget responsibility.These work groups are examples of:

A) project groups.
B) self-managing work teams.
C) task groups.
D) homogeneous teams.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is most likely to develop among members of a formal group when the formal group fails to meet some personal needs?

A) Functional subgroups
B) Informal subgroups
C) Reference groups
D) Task groups

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Lawrence manages the legal department of a manufacturing company.The legal department has the continuing responsibility of dealing with all legal issues relating to the company.As a member of this department,Lawrence is a member of a(n):

A) project group.
B) functional group.
C) informal group.
D) task group.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true about groups in the workplace?

A) Working in groups often leads to members losing their confidence.
B) Groups are formed to reduce the occurrence of social loafing.
C) Most employees of large organizations cluster into smaller groups such as task groups.
D) Not all the employees of an organization form a group.

Question 6

Two or more people who interact with one another,are aware of one another,and think of themselves as a unit are most appropriately referred to as a(n):

A) cluster.
B) crowd.
C) group.
D) assembly.

Question 7

Groups that form when individuals in the organization develop relationships to meet personal needs are called:

A) informal groups.
B) formal groups.
C) task groups.
D) functional groups.

Question 8

In the U.S.division of Nine Inc.,employees from different functional departments are brought together to work on the development of a new operating system.After the successful completion of the project,this group is disbanded.This group is an example of a(n)____.

A) functional group
B) virtual group
C) informal group
D) task group

Question 9

A hospital's permanent accounting department and customer service department are examples of:

A) project groups.
B) functional groups.
C) task groups.
D) informal groups.

Question 10

Task groups are best defined as:

A) permanent groups set up to fulfill ongoing needs in the organization.
B) groups that form when individuals in the organization develop relationships to meet personal goals.
C) groups set up to carry out a specific activity, and are disbanded when the activity is completed.
D) groups which appear on a company's organization chart.

Question 11

Which of the following best defines functional groups?

A) Groups that fulfill ongoing needs in the organization by carrying out a particular function
B) Groups that are set up to carry out a specific function and then disband when the activity is completed
C) Groups that work together and solve functional problems through computer-based interactions
D) Groups that are formed for specific projects that are ongoing

Question 12

Mark supervises a group of employees who are always at odds with one another.Which of the following steps should Mark take to foster group cohesiveness?

A) Make the group members aware of their individual contributions to the group
B) Help the members to set their personal goals rather than focusing on a common goal
C) Try to keep the group size sufficiently large
D) Encourage competition with other groups

Question 13

Norms refer to the:

A) efforts made by group leaders to support the group.
B) patterns of behavior related to employees' positions in a group.
C) degree to which group members stick together.
D) group standards for appropriate or acceptable behavior.

Question 14

A group member's position in relation to others in the group is referred to as:

A) status.
B) role ambiguity.
C) cohesiveness.
D) norm.

Question 15

Holland manages a group of employees consisting of twelve females and eight males.Ten members of his group are Hispanic,five are African,and five are Asian.This group managed by Holland is a:

A) dysfunctional group.
B) heterogeneous group.
C) homogeneous group.
D) cohesive group.

Question 16

Roles are best defined as:

A) patterns of behavior related to employees' position in a group.
B) group standards for appropriate or acceptable behavior.
C) the degree to which group members stick together.
D) group members' positions relative to others in the organization.

Question 17

A situation in which a person has two different roles that call for incompatible types of behavior is known as:

A) role playing.
B) role ambiguity.
C) role conflict.
D) role overload.

Question 18

Formal groups are best defined as groups that are:

A) set up by management to meet organizational objectives.
B) formed when individuals in the organization develop relationships to meet personal needs.
C) bound together by common interest such as political beliefs and social activities.
D) created by members who are prone to social loafing and groupthink.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes a self-managing work team?

A) Groups of five to fifteen members who work together to produce an entire product and are authorized to take important decisions
B) Groups that form when individuals in the organization develop relationships to meet personal needs
C) Groups that are bound together by common interest such as political beliefs and social activities
D) Groups formed by members who are prone to social loafing and groupthink

Question 20

The degree to which group members stick together is called:

A) integrity.
B) cohesiveness.
C) status.
D) homogeneity.

Question 21

In most cases,a task group appears on a company's organizational chart.

Question 22

Solving organizational problems and meeting assigned challenges are ideally part of the _____ stage of team development.

A) norming
B) storming
C) performing
D) adjourning

Question 23

Functional and task groups are types of informal groups.

Question 24

In the context of team development,which of the following statements is true about the storming stage?

A) It is a period of conflict in which group members assert their different roles on the team.
B) This is the fifth stage in which the team decides to disband after having achieved its goals.
C) In this stage, supervisors are encouraged to advise team members to be discreet about their opinions related to their role in the group.
D) This stage of team development is not required for every team, given that some teams meet for indefinite periods of time.

Question 25

In an organization,a group of people tends to be less influential than one strong personality acting alone.

Question 26

To make sure meetings are as fruitful as possible,the supervisor can facilitate the discussion by:

A) dominating the meeting.
B) sounding like the participant's echo.
C) summarizing the key points.
D) encouraging participants who monopolize a discussion.

Question 27

In the context of coaching employees,which of the following tips is most likely to help a supervisor in stimulating high-quality performance?

A) Criticize the team members who are not performing well, preferably during team meetings.
B) Be authoritative and dominate meetings so that the team members do not stray away from their agenda.
C) Tell employees what to do, rather than enabling them to handle a situation as it is a waste of time.
D) Encourage team members by expressing understanding and appreciation of their ideas and feelings.

Question 28

In overcoming problems with meetings,what should a supervisor ideally do?

A) When a participant begins discussing an unrelated topic, the supervisor should restate the purpose of the meeting.
B) When the supervisor is prepared to lead the meeting but others are unprepared to participate, the supervisor should still go ahead with the meeting.
C) The supervisor should keep asking the participants to answer questions related to the main issue to ensure that they are concentrating.
D) The supervisor should encourage participants to stray from the main topic and go off on tangents so as to prevent groupthink.

Question 29

Being members of the same group builds ties among people.

Question 30

In this stage of team development,the team decides to disband after having achieved its goals.Identify this stage.

A) Norming
B) Storming
C) Performing
D) Adjourning

Question 31

People belong to groups for different reasons,such as satisfying personal needs by joining a group.

Question 32

Members of a team must have close relationships,which is impossible when the team's membership keeps changing.This is characteristic of ____.

A) atmosphere of listening
B) access to information
C) acceptance of assignments
D) relatively low turnover

Question 33

One of the most valid reasons to hold a meeting is to:

A) rescue a lost cause.
B) make small matters seem important.
C) prove that team leaders are being democratic.
D) convey news to a group when their feedback is important.

Question 34

In the context of coaching a team,enabling is best defined as the process of:

A) providing employees with the resources they need to do their job and removing obstacles that interfere with their work.
B) forming a small group whose members share goals, commitment, and accountability for results.
C) making the transition after adjournment as seamless as possible for the team members, and to assure that new challenges await them.
D) giving each team member the absolute authority to take decisions related to achieving organizational goals.

Question 35

Mary,the human resource coordinator,has to give her first seminar to company supervisors.She writes down the purpose of the seminar,the location,the date,the starting and ending times,and the major topics to be covered.Mary has prepared a(n)____.

A) report
B) norm
C) agenda
D) manual

Question 36

Which of the following best describes the process of team building?

A) It is the process of developing the ability of members to work together to achieve common objectives.
B) It is the process of making the transition after adjournment as seamless as possible for the team members by assuring that new challenges await them.
C) It is the process of giving each team member the absolute authority to take decisions related to achieving organizational goals.
D) It is the process of bringing together individuals in the organization who share common interests and forming groups to meet personal needs.

Question 37

A list of the topics to be covered at a meeting is defined as a(n):

A) norm.
B) agenda.
C) yellow book.
D) user manual.

Question 38

_____ is the stage of the team development process in which team members become acquainted with one another and oriented to the idea that they are part of a team.

A) Performing
B) Norming
C) Forming
D) Storming

Question 39

If the purpose of a meeting is to convey a new company fringe benefit package,then ideally:

A) all the employees should be invited to attend the meeting.
B) only the union representatives should be invited, because they will get the word out.
C) top management should not be invited, because they are not affected by the package.
D) only the human resource staff should be invited.

Question 40

In the context of communication in teams,which of the following should a team leader ideally employ to increase team productivity?

A) The supervisor should single out staff, even if it affects team spirit, to get everyone focused on the issue at hand.
B) The team leader should ensure that the members confide in him alone to prevent the formation of informal groups.
C) The team leader should ensure that there is an open and positive communication among team members.
D) The team leader should look out for disagreements and squelch it at the roots.

Question 41

Small groups tend to reach decisions faster and rely less on formal rules and procedures.

Question 42

In the context of team development,the norming stage describes a period of conflicts in which group members assert their different roles on the team.

Question 43

A cohesive group abides by group norms even when under pressure to follow other norms.

Question 44

The most significant disadvantage associated with homogeneous groups is that people feel uncomfortable around others who are exactly like themselves.

Question 45

When a member of a group violates a norm,the group is most likely to respond by following suit.

Question 46

At almost all small organizations,a consultant with expertise in team building carries out the team building process.

Question 47

To increase productivity,the organization should focus on individual rewards rather than rewarding the entire team for its accomplishments.

Question 48

When a team reaches the adjourning stage,it is normal for team members to feel a sense of loss as team members often find being part of a team to be rewarding.

Question 49

Sometimes a person's role is a combination of the person's beliefs about how he/she ought to behave and other people's expectations about how that person will act.

Question 50

Storming is ideally the first stage in the process of team development.

Question 51

Self-managing work teams are groups with little decision making authority,working under the supervision of a team leader.

Question 52

Groups that are cohesive work harder than other groups and are more likely to accomplish their objectives.

Question 53

A group member's status is not dependent upon his/her race and sex.

Question 54

Group members with the highest status have the least effect on the development of group norms.

Question 55

A team is defined as a small group whose members share goals,commitment,and accountability for results.

Question 56

Cohesiveness increases when group members are competing with one another.

Question 57

Making the effort to communicate with groups about what is happening in the organization is a way of demonstrating that they are important to the organization.

Question 58

A small group makes sense when a lot of work needs to get done so that the individual group members can work independently most of the time.

Question 59

Members of a team must have close relationships,which is impossible when the team's membership keeps changing.

Question 60

Employees who participate in planning and decision making are less likely to take responsibility for the quality of what they do.

Question 61

It is advisable for supervisors to encourage participants who monopolize a discussion.

Question 62

Should team members be rewarded? Elaborate.

Question 63

Discuss the problems that often arise during team meetings and suggest ways of overcoming these problems.

Question 64

What are the most common personal reasons for joining a group?

Question 65

Mark has recently been hired as a supervisor to head the promotion department of a company.List a few tactics that would help Mark to effectively get his group to work with him.

Question 66

A frequent complaint about meetings is that they waste time because participants stray from the main topic and go off on tangents.

Question 67

A supervisor should never interrupt a meeting to summarize the key point and wait till the end even when people have trouble following the discussion.

Question 68

Meetings should be avoided when some or all members of a group work in different locations.

Question 69

When the purpose of a meeting is to have participants evaluate information,the whole department should be invited.

Question 70

Look around your classroom and describe two homogeneous and two heterogeneous characteristics of your classmates.

Question 71

One of the valid reasons for holding a meeting is to make small matter seem important.

Question 72

During a team meeting,some participants stray away from the main topic.The best way to bring the discussion back to the agenda is by focusing on the personalities of the participants who had strayed away from the main topic.

Question 73

A direct way to bring a discussion to a close is to summarize what has been covered,state what needs to happen next,and thank everyone for coming.

Question 74

What is a team? What are the benefits associated with teamwork?

Question 75

Compare and contrast formal groups to informal groups.Give examples.

Question 76

List the seven characteristics of groups and define any three of them.

Question 77

What are the five stages of team development? Discuss any three in detail.

Question 78

Conveying information in a meeting gives the supervisor a chance to see and respond to people's reactions to the news.

Question 79

One of the ways supervisors can facilitate discussions is by ensuring that they dominate the discussion.

Question 80

Discuss how the supervisor can lead a team so that it is productive.