CHALLENGES 1,2,3
Laura explains to Ayla that she wants the new front desk employee to be cross-trained in order to expand collective skills and ensure team members have experience in other areas, especially as the business continues to grow. With this plan in place, Laura is confident in her decision to retire; she knows the business will be in good hands. Which statement regarding the benefits of cross-training is NOT true?
A team with cross-trained team members includes individuals with a more concentrated, specialized role. Team members can be given overlapping responsibilities, enabling duplication of effort.
When Talia and her team have their initial planning meeting for the art fair, they discuss how they can execute a successful event with the little time and resources they have. Theo, one of the new teachers, is quick to speak up, suggesting, "If we divide up all of the different tasks, they won't seem so impossible."A few of the other teachers give Talia a skeptical look, but she knows Theo is right. Talia reassures the team, "As long as each of us is efficient in completing our share, we can get this done!" Select the action that is a recommended approach to improving personal efficiency.
Sharing your strengths and weaknesses Being more flexible to change
Laura smiles as her employees file into the meeting room of the small vet clinic for their weekly team meeting. Laura has owned the clinic for the last 20 years, but next week will be her last week as owner before she retires and her son Matthew and his wife Ayla take over the clinic. When everyone finally settles in, Laura begins the meeting by giving her team a pep talk, during which she says, "Naturally, there will be a period where everyone might be a little uncomfortable with all of the changes and new roles." Select the stage of team development that aligns with this statement from Laura's pep talk.
Storming
As Laura checks items off her meeting agenda and various individuals provide input and insight, she beams at her team. She is so proud of the work they do at her clinic every day. They have always been a very high-performing team, and for that, she has always been thankful. Select the statement that is true about high-performing teams.
Team members have clearly defined roles, which lead to accountability and empowerment.
After the meeting, the front desk manager, Ayla, pulls Laura aside to ask her about the new front desk employee that will be starting next week. Ayla wants to make sure she understands the scope of the new employee's role and how she will fit on the team. Which statement is true regarding defining team member roles?
Teams with poorly defined roles may leave work undone due to unclear responsibility.
Talia is impressed with the task chart that Theo and Jeremy have created. She gives them her approval to present it to the rest of the team as the method for tracking responsibilities. During this presentation, the other new teacher, Mackenzie, raises her hand and says, "I'm excited to be in charge of getting the prizes for the three winning art projects. I have some ideas already that the students will be excited about. But what if I need to wait for approval from the school board for these expenses? Won't that hold up Pat and Sam on their flyer design? The prizes have to be listed on the flyer!" Ambiguity is common in the professional world, and dealing with ambiguity effectively is an important skill. Which of the following is NOT an effective technique for dealing with an ambiguous situation?
Try to determine the one "right" answer.
After Sylvia approved the design, Kyle and his team put the finishing touches on their work, preparing to present it to the client in the next few days. Reflecting on the project and his first experience as a team leader, Kyle realizes that his communication skills were an important part of his success. He thinks about all of the elements that can impact the effectiveness of communication and how he could be even more aware of them in the future. Which of the following factors is LEAST important to consider before sending a written message?
What time of day the message is sent
Laura takes a few moments to refresh her team's memory on the elements of SMART goals. Which two of the following statements represent the "time-phased" portion of a SMART goal?
"The project is due to be fully complete in December, but the first design should be done this week." "By the end of the year, all staff should be trained on the new system."
Talia steps in to address Mackenzie's concern. "There will definitely be some ambiguity as we embark on this project for the first time, and I know that can be difficult. We just might have to get creative and be somewhat flexible. If you think about it, these are qualities we already have as educators!" A tolerance for ambiguity is an important quality on a team. Which of the following statements regarding tolerance for ambiguity is true?
An individual with a high tolerance for ambiguity generally has greater flexibility at work.
Once Kyle and his team determine an artistic direction for the ad design, they meet to discuss the action items for the next week. One of the team members, Andrew, has been working on the copy for the design. Kyle asks Andrew to send out a draft of the copy so that the team can weigh in."Actually, I have it right here!" Andrew says. He passes out photocopies of his handwritten notes; however, none of the team members are able to read what he has written. Which of the following statements accurately describes what happened in this scenario as it relates to the communication process?
Andrew's handwriting was an external filter affecting the communication process.
After the meeting, one of the veteran teachers, Jeremy, took Theo aside. "I really liked what you said in there about divvying up the tasks. As Talia mentioned, though, efficiency is key. Do you have a few minutes to brainstorm with me? We could figure out the best way to keep track of everyone's progress and communicate about the dependent tasks.""Sure," Theo replied. "That sounds great." An efficient approach requires a balance of using the fewest resources with getting the best results. Which of the following examples is primarily motivated by the quality of the results?
Communications that are timely and easy to understand A system that takes less time for staff members to use
Talia is a principal at a small-town elementary school. Over the years, the school has had a difficult time recruiting teachers due to the remote location. This year, however, Talia is pleased to have brought on two teachers who formerly worked in large public school districts and were looking for a change. Talia and her team of teachers will spend the next two months preparing for the art fair—a new event the school is hosting this year. She knows her recent hires will bring some much-needed diversity to the team. Which of the following is a true statement about the impact of diversity on team dynamics?
Diversity leads to a richer overall set of skills and increased creative thinking.
"Okay," says Laura as she glances down at her meeting agenda. "Our final topic of discussion for this meeting is team goals for this year...." Select the most effective method of generating team goals.
Each team member generates ideas and presents them to the team manager, who then creates common team goals.
The first project Kyle will lead on his new team is the creation of a strong ad design for a client incorporating images from a photoshoot. As he is reviewing the materials, Kyle realizes he will need to get some clarity on the artistic style the team should be going for. "I should consult with my boss, Sylvia, when I get back to our office," Kyle says to himself. "She's the only one who's been in touch with the client directly." Which of the following communication methods would be the best fit for this scenario?
Face-to-face meeting
Kyle is asked to lead a team for some new design projects at the advertising agency where he works. While the team members have worked together many times before under a different manager, Kyle has just been brought over from an entirely different department. He knows that he will need to build up trust among his new team members in order for them to feel confident in his leadership abilities. Which of the following behaviors is likely to improve trust within a team?
Following through on commitments
After two months of hard work, the art fair is a huge success; both the students and their parents report having a great time, and the winning projects are even featured in the local newspaper. Talia is so proud of her team of teachers for everything they accomplished, and she is ready to reward them for their outstanding performance. Talia decides to surprise each member of her team with an extra vacation day, because she has learned that giving a(n) __________ reward can be very impactful, especially when it is well-timed.
Intangible non-monetary
Once Kyle and his team determine an artistic direction for the ad design, they meet to discuss the action items for the next week. One of the team members, Andrew, has been working on the copy for the design. Kyle asks Andrew to send out a draft of the copy so that the team can weigh in.Now Andrew is confused—he says he emailed the draft out yesterday. It turns out that he had accidentally emailed an expense report instead of the draft. Once Andrew sent the wrong file, which of the following could have addressed the mistake prior to the meeting.
Kyle replies to Andrew's initial email to clarify if the expense report is what Andrew intended to send the team
Now that the team had a chance to review the copy for the ad, Kyle starts composing an email to his boss, Sylvia, to update her on the specifics of the design. Kyle chooses his words carefully, making frequent edits to maintain clarity and strike the right tone. Which of the following edits demonstrates connotation?
Kyle writes "unacceptable" and then decides to replace it with "challenging," since he thinks that the feeling of the word "unacceptable" is too harsh.
"Okay," says Laura as she glances down at her meeting agenda. "Our final topic of discussion for this meeting is team goals for this year...." All of the following statements are true about team goals, EXCEPT:
Long-term goals are the most important factor of team performance.
