Deck 9: Understanding Group and Team Performance

Question 1

1-8 The admissions office on campus was concerned about the high percentage of freshmen who were opting to move out of the residence halls at the end of the fall semester.They decided to bring together random groups of students,and have each group discuss the residence halls.In what type of groups are the students participating?

A) Study groups
B) Problem-solving groups
C) Therapy groups
D) Focus groups

Answer 1

D

Question 2

1-7 Jeanine is in charge of a group at her university that is responsible for finding reasons that freshmen do not want to live in the college dorms.What type of group is this?

A) Primary group
B) Study group
C) Problem-solving group
D) Focus group

Answer 2

D

Question 3

1-3 Which of the following is a characteristic of a primary group?

A) It exists to fulfill an agenda or goal.
B) Members have specifically assigned duties.
C) It is designed to solve a clearly defined problem.
D) It meets basic human needs.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

1-4 Steve and his friends are foreign film buffs.Every weekend,they drive to the nearest city and attend what is showing at one of the fine arts theaters.This group is an example of a

A) study group
B) social group
C) focus group
D) therapy group

Question 5

1-13 A campus organization planning group is brainstorming possible themes for their homecoming float.The ideas are flowing freely,when Katie enters the group late.Without regard for the group's brainstorming session,she begins discussing her recent break-up with her boyfriend.Katie is playing which type of group role?

A) Individual role
B) Task role
C) Social role
D) Procedural role

Question 6

1-19 Tom was a member of the five-member committee for evaluating student complaints.When Tom raised a question,other members abruptly changed the topic.Several times Tom made suggestions for new procedures,but his ideas were summarily dismissed.In addition,others in the group tended to interrupt his statements with ideas of their own.Tom probably has _____.

A) emergent leadership
B) low status
C) high status
D) blocking behaviors

Question 7

1-10 Sarah observes that she usually keeps her theater group happy and that her friend Maureen offers the group encouragement.The patterns of communication observed by Sarah would be described as _____ roles.

A) task
B) social
C) individual
D) flexible

Question 8

1-11 Mikala often takes the minutes of the meetings;Gary often asks others to contribute new ideas;Keri offers pros and cons about the suggested solutions.All of these would be examples of _____.

A) individual roles
B) procedural roles
C) social roles
D) task roles

Question 9

1-17 What is the importance of team ground rules?

A) They spell out behavior that is expected of group members.
B) They can help manage uncertainty.
C) They help the team run more smoothly.
D) A,B,and C are all correct

Question 10

1-18 Gretchen decides to join a study group.She attends the group for the first time and arrives about 10 minutes early for the meeting.She is surprised to see that no other group members have arrived.In fact,no one showed up until ten minutes past the posted start time.Gretchen realizes that arriving late is deemed appropriate behavior by the group.This would be an example of a group _____.

A) norm
B) role
C) status
D) power

Question 11

1-12 Clara thinks Carlo's idea for organizational outreach is impractical and cannot be implemented effectively.The discussion becomes heated and things seem to be getting out of control,so Chad suggests that the group take a break to rethink the issue.Chad is fulfilling which type of group role?

A) Individual role
B) Task role
C) Social role
D) Procedural role

Question 12

1-9 Which of the following describes the concern of a bona fide perspective of groups?

A) Only the boundaries of groups move.
B) Only the contexts of groups change.
C) People can only be effective in one group at a time.
D) The perspective is concerned with how groups actually operate in organizations.

Question 13

1-5 Jubair,Jeremiah,Cindy,Sean,and Russ meet once a week to prepare for their communication class.This is an example of a(n)_____.

A) primary group
B) study group
C) therapy group
D) focus group

Question 14

1-2 Which of the following describes the difference between a team and a group?

A) Teams are more highly structured and organized than groups.
B) Teams usually are created by an outside organization;groups are not.
C) Teams have a designated leader;groups do not.
D) None of the above-groups and teams are essentially the same thing.

Question 15

1-6 Tanisha likes the fact that she can submit ideas and information anonymously to her team.She feels somewhat more comfortable sharing her creative and innovative ideas with her team.This would indicate that Tanisha enjoys one of the benefits of working in

A) a focus group.
B) a study group.
C) a virtual group.
D) a therapy group.

Question 16

1-14 When working in a group,Alicia tends to manage conflicts between other group members,and she mediates disputes among group members.Alicia is filling the role of

A) coordinator.
B) orienter.
C) initiator.
D) harmonizer.

Question 17

1-1 Which of the following lists contains elements of the definition of a small group given in your book?

A) Sharing a common purpose,2 to 15 people,face-to-face interaction
B) Members exert influence on others in the group,4 to 8 people,formal leader
C) 3 to 15 people,sharing a common purpose,members feel a sense of belonging and they exert influence on each other
D) Formal leader,3 to 15 people,members feel a sense of belonging

Question 18

1-15 Zorita is an excellent group member.At meetings,she always shares her research with other group members.Which task-oriented role does Zorita play,from this description?

A) The initiator role
B) The information-seeker role
C) The information-giver role
D) The opinion-giver role

Question 19

1-20 Leroy was recently elected to the position of chair of his department at the university.With regard to department business,Leroy now has which type of power?

A) Reward
B) Expert
C) Legitimate
D) Coercive

Question 20

1-16 _____ is a social role in groups.

A) Joker
B) Dominator
C) Help seeker
D) Follower

Question 21

1-25 The opposite of coercive power is which of the following?

A) Reward power
B) Legitimate power
C) Status power
D) Expert power

Question 22

1-38 Ian,Mike,and Paul are assigned to work in a group.Ian is from England,Mike is from the United States,and Paul is from Australia.How will the group use assumptions noted in your book?

A) They will likely employ the assumptions of individualistic cultural groups.
B) They will likely employ the assumptions of collectivistic cultural groups.
C) They will likely blend the assumptions of both individualistic and collectivistic cultural groups.
D) There will likely be too much confusion among them to apply any set of assumptions.

Question 23

1-27 Which of the following correctly depicts the relationship between group cohesiveness and group productivity?

A) As cohesiveness increases,productivity increases.
B) As cohesiveness increases,productivity decreases.
C) When a group is too cohesive,productivity can suffer.
D) The relationship between productivity and cohesiveness is linear

Question 24

1-36 Jennifer's project group in her communication class selected the topic of improving services for non-traditional students on campus.Each member in the group had volunteered to talk to a different member of the university staff,and several members had volunteered to search the Internet for what other schools might be doing.Ricardo had volunteered to be moderator and was efficient at running the group meetings.On their fifth meeting,members of the group shared information they had gathered.What phase is this group experiencing?

A) Orientation
B) Conflict
C) Emergence
D) Reinforcement

Question 25

1-31 Ian is a member of a smaller group of people within his group who formed a common bond among themselves.This smaller group is known as which of the following?

A) A wheel
B) A chain
C) A clique
D) A deviation

Question 26

1-23 Teachers who use bonus points to get students to attend public speeches outside of class are making use of what type of power?

A) Referent
B) Coercive
C) Expert
D) Reward

Question 27

1-40 Mauri was working with a very diverse group at her new job.As they tried to identify and define their goal,tempers flared and emotions were tense.What is recommended to manage this conflict?

A) Paraphrasing
B) Taking a break
C) Continue to discuss the problem
D) Engage in ethical persuasion

Question 28

1-30 Which communication network is characterized by members communicating messages hierarchically from one person to another?

A) Wheel network
B) All-channel network
C) Chain network
D) Primary network

Question 29

1-26 Which of the following is a characteristic of a group with low cohesiveness?

A) They stress individual accomplishment more than group accomplishment.
B) Everyone in the group is encouraged to participate.
C) They maintain and establish group traditions.
D) They set goals and establish guidelines.

Question 30

1-28 Leonard is a group member who holds a different opinion than the other group members,and the other members spend a lot of time talking to him to try to change his mind.Leonard would be known as a(n)_____.

A) clique
B) group deviate
C) status-seeker
D) rewarder

Question 31

1-24 Teachers who lower grades because of unexcused absences are using what type of power?

A) Referent
B) Coercive
C) Expert
D) Reward

Question 32

1-29 Which of the following accurately describes an all-channel network?

A) Groups use chat rooms for their meetings
B) All members make comments to the high status members,but rarely to low status members
C) The norms of the group include raising one's hand when one wants to make a comment or ask a question
D) Everyone talks to everyone else and no cliques or subgroups emerge

Question 33

1-21 If a person had the power to influence people by making them uncomfortable,he/she has _____ power.

A) legitimate
B) referent
C) expert
D) coercive

Question 34

1-34 When a group becomes familiar with its members and the group task,this is known as the _____ phase of group development.

A) orientation
B) conflict
C) emergence
D) reinforcement

Question 35

1-22 Although Ali was quiet and spoke up rarely in his class project group,the group knew he was a pre-med major and respected his academic success.When the group decided to use the topic of genetic research for their project,they listened carefully to Ali's ideas on appropriate sources.Given these circumstances,what type of power does Ali have in his group?

A) Coercive
B) Referent
C) Expert
D) Reward

Question 36

1-35 After Jennifer's group in her communication class had met twice,they finally began to get serious about selecting a topic for their project.Several of the group members wanted to do a project on the parking situation on campus,because they thought it would be easy to understand.Tyler,who was in the student government,wanted to do a project on the use of student fees,because he had worked on that already and had a lot of information.Each person in the group had a favorite topic,and no one wanted to consider the other topics.Most of the discussion revolved around trying to persuade the others to choose a given topic.Which phase is this group experiencing?

A) Orientation
B) Conflict
C) Emergence
D) Reinforcement

Question 37

1-37 When Jennifer's teacher divided her class into groups,Jennifer ended up in a group with four other people who were all strangers to each other.At first,they took turns introducing themselves and telling the others their majors.Although the discussion was pleasant,it was somewhat strained and uncomfortable.Jennifer wondered who in the group would be motivated to work and who would be a slacker.This group is most likely experiencing _____.

A) primary tension
B) secondary tension
C) high cohesiveness
D) communication breakdown

Question 38

1-33 Vlad is the leader of a group;he receives most of the messages from the group members,and he provides most of the information the group members receive.This is an example of a(n)_____ network.

A) all-channel
B) chain
C) wheel
D) clear-channel

Question 39

1-32 George,Paul,and Sue tend to sit together at meetings and seem to like telling stories to each other,sharing private jokes,and sometimes talking about other group members.The trio would be known as a

A) group deviate.
B) referent group.
C) clique.
D) blocker.

Question 40

1-39 A collectivistic assumption is that _____.

A) the individual should work primarily for the group
B) the individual should work primarily for the individual
C) planning should be done by group leaders
D) meetings are for sharing information with others

Question 41

2-11 A group member with high status generally talks more than a low status member.

Question 42

2-13 According to research cited in your book,groups with clear-cut power differences among their members usually have better outcomes than groups with equal power distribution.

Question 43

2-2 One of the primary differences between a team and a group is that teams are more likely than groups to develop explicit rules for how the tasks should be accomplished.

Question 44

2-19 The communication network which features a central individual who receives and sends most messages is the all-channel network.

Question 45

2-8 Even though he does not engage in the recipes nor the manufacturing of any sports drinks or men's underwear,Michael Jordan has become a successful spokesperson for these items due to being liked and being popular.His is an example of referent power.

Question 46

2-12 According to your book,status and power are essentially the same thing.

Question 47

2-18 According to your book,once a group deviate has been identified,group members tend to ignore that person and do not communicate with him or her.

Question 48

2-15 Tiffany looks up to her older sister and often asks her advice on personal matters.This is an example of referent power.

Question 49

2-9 One way that group norms may be determined is by observing the reactions of members when someone breaks a norm.

Question 50

2-5 Roles are standards that determine what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior in a group.

Question 51

2-3 Therapy groups are groups that exist in order to treat problems that members have.

Question 52

2-6 The role you assume in a group may depend on who else is in the group.

Question 53

2-10 All groups are teams,but not all teams are groups.

Question 54

2-7 Task roles are roles which directly affect group climate by resolving conflict and improving the flow of communication.

Question 55

2-1 For a collection of people to be considered a group,individuals should have a sense of belonging to the group.

Question 56

2-20 The chain pattern of group interaction is when a person receives most of their communication from a central person.

Question 57

2-17 A cohesive group tends to celebrate when the group accomplishes either a short-term or a long-term goal.

Question 58

2-16 An attorney is an example of an individual who possesses expert power.

Question 59

2-14 A teacher or a supervisor is an example of a person who has legitimate power.

Question 60

2-4 A focus group is a group that meets to resolve an issue or overcome an unsatisfactory situation.

Question 61

What are task roles?

Question 62

2-22 Conflict that arises in the conflict phase is known as secondary tension.

Question 63

4-6 The degree of attraction that members of a group feel toward one another and the group is _____.

Question 64

3-8 Briefly describe primary and secondary tension.

Question 65

2-21 The phase in which the group begins to solidify a common point of view is the emergence phase.

Question 66

4-4 If Carlos has power because people like him,he has _____ power.

Question 67

4-7 A consistent pattern of who talks to who in a group is a(n)_____ pattern.

Question 68

3-6 Explain the difference between a rule and a norm.

Question 69

2-23 Secondary tension is common in the reinforcement phase.

Question 70

3-2 What is the primary difference between a team and a group?

Question 71

4-2 Examples of _____ roles are giving and seeking information in order to help a group move toward its goals.

Question 72

3-1 What are the characteristics of a small group?

Question 73

What are individual roles?

Question 74

4-5 Joanna's mother has decided that Joanna may drive the family car only after she has cleaned the upstairs part of the house.Joanna's mother is using _____ power.

Question 75

3-9 Briefly explain two assumptions about groups that would be different between individualistic cultures and collectivistic cultures.

Question 76

3-4 What are social roles?

Question 77

3-7 Briefly explain what communication interaction patterns are,and give examples of two types discussed in your book.

Question 78

4-3 A blocker,a recognition seeker,and a self-confessor,all of which impede the group's progress toward its goals,are examples of _____ roles.

Question 79

4-1 _____ is a type of group that exists to resolve an issue or overcome an unsatisfactory situation.

Question 80

2-24 The phase in which group members become more unified is the reinforcement phase.