Deck 9: Understanding Work Teams

Question 1

A work group creates positive synergy.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Teams are an effective means for management to democratise their organisations.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Teams increase employee motivation.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A group differs from a work team due to a few different dimensions.Which dimension deals with 'share information' versus 'collective performance'?

A)goal
B)synergy
C)accountability
D)skills

Question 5

Teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events than traditional departments or other forms of permanent groups.

Question 6

A group differs from a work team due to a few different dimensions.Which dimension deals with 'random and varied' versus 'complementary'?

A)goal
B)synergy
C)accountability
D)skills

Question 7

Teams tend to be more flexible and more responsive to changing events than traditional departments.

Question 8

Teams are unable to _____________ quickly.

A)assemble
B)deploy
C)make decisions
D)disband

Question 9

Why have teams become so popular?

Question 10

A group differs from a work team due to a few different dimensions.Which dimension deals with 'individual' versus 'individual and mutual'?

A)goal
B)synergy
C)accountability
D)skills

Question 11

Which of the following does NOT explain the current popularity of teams?

A)Teams are a means to increase employee motivation.
B)Teams enable organisations to better utilise employee talents.
C)Teams do not require employee participation in operating decisions.
D)None of the above.

Question 12

Teams are quick to assemble and disband,but they are difficult to refocus.

Question 13

A work group is a group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility.

Question 14

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

Question 15

What is a work group?

A)a group whose individual efforts result in a performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs
B)a group of 10 to 15 people who take on responsibilities of their former supervisors
C)a group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility
D)a group made up of members from across departmental lines

Question 16

Work groups engage in collective work that requires joint effort.

Question 17

A work team has one important aspect NOT found in a work group.This is:

A)enthusiasm.
B)synergy.
C)information sharing.
D)energy.

Question 18

Which of the following helps explain the current popularity of teams?

A)Teams are a way to better utilise employee talents.
B)Teams are less expensive.
C)Teams are easier to manage.
D)Teams promote social loafing.

Question 19

Kate works in an industry that is highly competitive.Her organisation recently restructured itself to compete more effectively and efficiently. Kate's organisation likely uses teams because:

A)teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events.
B)teams can quickly assemble,deploy,refocus and disband.
C)teams facilitate employee participation in operating decisions.
D)all of the above.

Question 20

A work team generates positive synergy,while a work group does not.

Question 21

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

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

Question 22

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

A)self-managed
B)virtual
C)problem identification
D)problem-solving

Question 23

Sarah,Adam and Jacob frequently get to work on the same projects.Within the projects,they are all aiming to achieve the same goal and they frequently have to consult with one another to achieve the end result.Moreover,they each take on different roles with the projects,serving different functions.At the completion of the project,they often get complimented on their team efforts rather than their individual contributions. The relationship held by Sarah,Adam and Jacob is a work team rather than a work group because they:

A)share information,have positive synergy,have individual accountability and have complementary skills.
B)aim for collective performance,have positive synergy,have some mutual accountability and have complementary skills
C)aim for collective performance,have neutral synergy,have some mutual accountability and have random and varied skills.
D)share information,have neutral synergy,have individual accountability and have random and varied skills.

Question 24

Self-managed work teams generally:

A)take on the responsibilities of their former supervisors.
B)are comprised of five to seven workers.
C)are made up of people from different levels of the organisation.
D)are from different work areas,but about the same hierarchical level.

Question 25

Self-managed work teams typically have ________ members.

A)8-9
B)2-3
C)6-7
D)10-15

Question 26

While most types of teams do their work face-to-face,________ teams use computer technology.

A)functional
B)telecommuting
C)virtual
D)outsourced

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT true about self-managed work teams?

A)Individuals on these teams tend to report higher levels of job satisfaction.
B)This type of team often does not manage conflicts well.
C)The success of self-managed teams has been uniformly positive.
D)They sometimes have higher rates of absenteeism and turnover.

Question 28

Discuss the difference between a work group and a work team.

Question 29

The goal of work groups is shared,while the goal of work teams is collective.

Question 30

The synergy of work groups is neutral,while the synergy of teams is positive.

Question 31

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

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

Question 32

Merely calling a group a team doesn't automatically increase its performance.

Question 33

Teams of employees who meet to discuss ways to improve quality,efficiency and the work environment are called:

A)problem-solving teams.
B)unions.
C)cross-functional teams.
D)self-managed work teams.

Question 34

________ teams perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

A)Virtual
B)Self-managed
C)Problem identification
D)Performance

Question 35

The research on the effectiveness of self-managed work teams suggests that:

A)absenteeism and turnover rates are sometimes higher on self-managed work teams.
B)individuals have lower levels of job satisfaction.
C)productivity is lower for self-managed work teams.
D)individuals overwhelmingly prefer to work on self-managed work teams.

Question 36

Positive synergy in work teams is created through coordinated effort.

Question 37

________ teams allow people to collaborate online.

A)Cross-functional
B)Self-managed
C)Virtual
D)Problem-solving

Question 38

In virtual teams,there is:

A)increased social rapport.
B)increased direct interaction among members.
C)a greater focus on task.
D)less social-emotional exchange.

Question 39

Self-managed work teams typically perform which of the following responsibilities?

A)assigning tasks to members
B)planning and scheduling
C)taking action on problems
D)all of the above

Question 40

You are a member of a work team whose goal is to improve the efficiency of the production process.Your team is best described as:

A)problem-solving.
B)self-managed.
C)cross-functional.
D)goal-oriented.

Question 41

You are a member of a team of six 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 a member of a self-managed work team.

Question 42

The four most common forms of teams are: problem-solving,self-managed,cross-functional and virtual.

Question 43

Individuals on self-managed work teams report higher levels of job satisfaction.

Question 44

Multi-team systems consist of a collection of teams that are interdependent upon one another.

Question 45

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

Question 46

All the major car manufacturers currently use cross-functional teams to coordinate complex projects.

Question 47

Cross-functional teams commonly use computer technology to tie together physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal.

Question 48

The role of the supervisor becomes even more important in the case of self-managed work teams.

Question 49

Supervisory positions take on decreased importance for a self-managed work team and are sometimes even eliminated.

Question 50

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

Question 51

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

Question 52

Problem-solving teams take employees from the same department.

Question 53

Virtual teams report less satisfaction with the group interaction process than do face-to-face teams.

Question 54

You are a member of a team system that depends on other teams to do their part.Your team is best described as:

A)coordinated.
B)self-managed.
C)cross-functional.
D)goal-oriented.

Question 55

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 56

________ allow people to share superordinate goals.

A)Cross-functional teams
B)Self-managed teams
C)Multi-team systems
D)Problem-solving teams

Question 57

A self-managed work team takes on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors.

Question 58

Individuals on self-managed work teams have lower absenteeism rates than employees in traditional work structures.

Question 59

In multi-team systems,there is:

A)increased social rapport.
B)increased direct interaction among members.
C)a greater focus on task.
D)interdependency.

Question 60

Problem-solving teams generally consist of three to five employees from the same department.

Question 61

Which team role provides structure?

A)assessor
B)organiser
C)controller
D)maintainer

Question 62

What is a virtual team? What are its benefits and drawbacks?

Question 63

Recognising that teams can do a variety of things,Joan has decided to use a number of teams in her divisions. Joan has created a team of seven employees from the accounts payable department who meet for three hours a week to discuss ways of improving quality,efficiency and the work environment.This is an example of a ________ team.

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

Question 64

What can management do to ensure effective virtual teams?

Question 65

The context category of the team effectiveness model includes:

A)adequate resources.
B)ability.
C)autonomy.
D)conflict.

Question 66

While problem-solving team members share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods can be improved,they rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggestions.

Question 67

Discuss self-managed work teams.

Question 68

Of the nine key roles on teams,the promoter is the group member most likely to:

A)champion ideas after they are initiated.
B)provide structure.
C)initiate creative ideas.
D)fight external battles.

Question 69

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

A)effective communication
B)adequate resources
C)leadership and structure
D)a performance evaluation and reward system

Question 70

In general,the most effective teams tend to have ________ members.

A)5
B)more than 12
C)5 to 9
D)3

Question 71

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

A)coordinates and integrates.
B)champions ideas.
C)provides structure.
D)initiates creative ideas.

Question 72

What is a cross-functional team?

Question 73

Discuss the five forms of work teams: problem-solving teams,self-managed teams,cross-functional teams,virtual teams and multi-team systems.

Question 74

The key components making up effective teams can be subsumed into three categories.Which of the following is NOT one of those categories?

A)contextual influences
B)goals
C)process variables
D)composition

Question 75

Recognising that teams can do a variety of things,Joan has decided to use a number of teams in her divisions. To better accomplish specific tasks,Joan has used employees from about the same hierarchical level but from different work areas,who come together to accomplish a task.This would be a ______ type of team.

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

Question 76

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 called the:

A)maintainer.
B)controller.
C)linker.
D)promoter.

Question 77

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

A)resource allocator
B)maintainer
C)organiser
D)controller

Question 78

Recognising that teams can do a variety of things,Joan has decided to use a number of teams in her divisions. Joan has decided to create a team of 11 employees from accounts receivable,give them the responsibility of their former supervisor (including scheduling of work and evaluating each other's performance),and eliminate the former supervisor's position.This is an example of a ________ team.

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

Question 79

Recognising that teams can do a variety of things,Joan has decided to use a number of teams in her divisions. As Joan's employees are located in Europe,Asia and North America,she has decided to use computer technology to tie her employees together in order to achieve a common goal.This is an example of a ________ team.

A)multi-team system
B)problem-solving
C)virtual
D)self-managed

Question 80

People who fight the team's battles are called:

A)controllers.
B)maintainers.
C)producers.
D)assessors.