Deck 5: Performance and Productivity

Question 1

Regarding Csikszentmihalyi's model of Flow,when a person is very low in skill ability,and the task is high in complexity,what emotional state might this person experience?

A)Control
B)Flow
C)Anxiety
D)Inspiration

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When the least capable member of a team feels particularly indispensable for group success,the entire group works harder to achieve their goals.This effect is best termed:

A)team identifiability.
B)positive illusion bias.
C)social striving effect.
D)relational loss.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The organizational context,team design,and team culture are three important aspects that affect the ultimate performance of a team.Which of these three aspects does a leader have the most control over?

A)The organizational context
B)Team design
C)Team culture
D)All three about equally

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Team culture refers to the:

A)personality of a team.
B)ethnic origin of the team members.
C)extent to which team members are polite and respectful to one another.
D)geographical location of the team.

Question 5

When in the psychologic state of "Flow," which of the following is the most TRUE?

A)A person is keenly aware of the time they are spending on the task at hand.
B)For the individual,the process of engaging in the task is its own reinforcement.
C)A person is intimidated by the task.
D)A person is extremely relaxed,and very comfortable with the task at hand.

Question 6

In regards to expertise,critical skills for team members include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)conflict resolution.
B)collaborative problem solving.
C)a large network of influential company contacts.
D)a strong ability to communicate effectively.

Question 7

The belief that a group has in themselves,or their group potency,is a significant predictor of actual performance.This "thinking we can" contributes to group performance more than the:

A)team norms.
B)diversity of team members.
C)pure cognitive abilities of the team.
D)individual,positive illusion biases.

Question 8

In a team,a person's efforts are less identifiable than when that person works independently.Because the person's efforts are less identifiable,in extreme circumstances this can lead to:

A)relational loss - or when an employee perceives that support is less available as team size increases.
B)choking under pressure - a person's performance declines despite incentives for optimal performance.
C)a positive illusion bias - or unwarranted beliefs in one's own superiority.
D)deindividuation - a psychological state in which a person does not feel individual responsibility.

Question 9

If you detect a free rider on your team,the best way to remedy the situation is to:

A)stop carpooling with members of the team.
B)increase the identifiability of that person's work products through performance reviews.
C)increase the size of the team.
D)decrease the difficulty of the team task.

Question 10

Which of the following situations demonstrates the best example of social facilitation?

A)Mary,who is a new member of the ballet class,is asked to demonstrate a step sequence for the senior members of the company.Mary is concerned that her technique will not be up to par with the rest of the team.
B)John is an excellent lead dancer,and when learning a new routine,loses track of time because he is so engaged in his task.
C)Sonya is an up and coming dancer,and her teacher puts quite a bit of pressure on her to perform perfectly.In her dance recital,despite weeks of rehearsals,Sonya's mind goes blank,and she can't remember her routine.
D)Julia is a strong dancer,and when asked to demonstrate her solo to a room full of classmates,her performance is more energetic,and her leaps are higher.

Question 11

A team norm is best described as:

A)the personality of the team.
B)a generally agreed upon set of rules that guides the behavior of team members.
C)a goal held by the group that is adopted by a newcomer.
D)the normal number of people to be on a given team.

Question 12

Goal contagion is a form of norm setting in which people adopt a goal held by others.Goal contagion is more likely in what circumstance?

A)When the team desires or admires a goal held by a competing team
B)Between people in the same work group or team
C)Adopted when a team member wishes to differentiate themselves from the group
D)A person feels threatened by other members of the team to adopt a certain goal.

Question 13

A number of factors must be in place for a team to perform well.All of the following are considered essential for team effectiveness EXCEPT the:

A)knowledge and skill regarding the team task.
B)motivation to accomplish the goals of the team.
C)ability to identify the different personality styles of team members.
D)ability to coordinate effort and communicate well with others.

Question 14

The positive illusion bias,or unwarranted beliefs in one's own superiority,can wreak havoc in teams.Why?

A)Individuals believe their contributions will not be sufficient to justify their efforts.
B)Individuals with this bias are interested in vastly different team goals than that of their other teammates.
C)Individuals who see themselves as above average are likely to engage in social loafing because they have a false sense of the value of their contributions.
D)Individuals with this bias always have a high sense of the Protestant Work Ethic.

Question 15

The positive illusion bias refers to:

A)people who believe themselves to be superior and more talented than others on their team.
B)people who work harder for the team hoping to improve the overall team's reputation within the larger organizational context.
C)managers who convey a positive attitude in order to positively influence their team's group mood.
D)a team member who has positive news to share about the group's task in hopes that it will spur morale and increase productivity.

Question 16

Teams ideally need a supportive organizational context - one that recognizes and welcomes their existence,and responds to their requests for information,resources,and action as well as legitimizes the team's task.Of the following,which is a component of team design?

A)Organizational reporting relationships
B)Functional units
C)The leadership style within the team
D)The reward system

Question 17

Which of the following actions by the team or their leadership can result in reduced team performance?

A)The team leader promotes an intrinsically interesting or challenging project.
B)The team leader rewards a team member with a clock for his or her hours of overtime spent in the service of a team's project.
C)The team shares,and mutually sets,their own performance goals.
D)Team leaders increase team size so that more employees get an opportunity to contribute to the project.

Question 18

Which of the following is TRUE about how stress and pressure can affect individual performance?

A)Performance improves only for tasks that require high motivation.
B)Performance on a well-learned task improves.
C)Performance on a novel task improves.
D)Stress never enhances performance.

Question 19

The social loafing effect refers to the tendency for:

A)people in teams to let others make mistakes instead of telling them what to do.
B)teams to take longer to complete a task than individuals.
C)teams to be more creative than individuals,but experience more conflict.
D)people not to work as hard in teams as they would if they were working individually.

Question 20

The Kohler Effect refers to the observation that:

A)members work harder in a team than they do alone under some conditions.
B)members don't work as hard in a team as they do alone under some conditions.
C)people work less hard in smaller groups than they do in larger groups.
D)people work harder when they are in a flow state.

Question 21

Regarding team performance,leaders can more easily control ________ than ________.

A)team Integration; team separation
B)performance threats; synergies
C)team cohesion; resources
D)the demands of a task; the process of accomplishing a task

Question 22

Teams are much less likely to compensate work efforts for non-contributing team members who are displaying low effort but have high ability,than they are for team members who display low ability and high effort.

Question 23

The team performance equation attempts to predict the actual productivity of a team.It states that the AP (actual productivity)of a team equals:

A)the potential productivity of a team,plus team synergies,minus team threats.
B)the potential productivity of a team,plus team culture,minus free-riding.
C)the potential productivity of a team,plus task design,plus team culture.
D)cohesion,plus learning,plus integration.

Question 24

There is a fine line between challenge and stress.For example,people who are challenged by a task and have some of the skills necessary to achieve performance success,but are also concerned about losing control are in the ________ stage of Csikszentmihalyi's Flow Model.

A)boredom
B)arousal
C)anxiety
D)control

Question 25

While most people believe that talent always helps performance,in a team setting too much talent can actually become detrimental - especially when the team must engage in a high degree of coordination to perform well.For example,the too-much-talent-effect emerged when team members were more independent but not when they were highly interdependent.

Question 26

As team size gets larger and larger,team members perceive that there is less support available,and freeriding increases.This experience can lead to:

A)diminished motivation.
B)lower performance.
C)greater cohesion between team members.
D)both A and B.

Question 27

An effective team needs people not only with the technical skills necessary to perform the work,but also problem-solving skills,interpersonal skills,and:

A)decision-making skills.
B)psychological flow.
C)ability to control a group of people.
D)a reduced send of self-efficacy.

Question 28

Team performance increases with team size,but the rate of increase is negatively accelerated,such that the addition of new members to the team has diminishing returns on productivity.

Question 29

The team context includes the design of the team in terms of its internal functioning,the culture of the team and:

A)the expertise of the group.
B)the productivity potential of the group.
C)the norms the group will follow.
D)the larger organizational setting within which the team does its work.

Question 30

Execution is the ability of teams to communicate effectively and combine their efforts.All of the following can enhance team execution EXCEPT:

A)training team members together.
B)practice and rehearsal.
C)setting clear performance standards.
D)increasing the size of the team.

Question 31

Regarding learning curves and expertise,the best way for novice players or performers to improve their performance is to have a group of people watch them work.

Question 32

It is not enough for members of a team to be skilled; they must also be engaged and motivated to perform.Motivation gains increased when people worked with several different partners and significantly increased when they were in the physical presence of a coworker.

Question 33

Which of the following performance criteria is the most important one to use when evaluating the success of a team?

A)Productivity
B)Financial profit
C)Diversity
D)Rewards