ch 8 ob test

A team has high skill diversity when its members A. have similar abilities. B. are interchangeable. C. possess different skills and knowledge. D. have decision-making responsibility. E. have work that is complicated.

C. possess different skills and knowledge.

David works in Connecticut, Tim is located in Canada, and Raj is in India. In order for them to work together on a project, they will need to become a(n) A. gainsharing team. B. production team. C. virtual team. D. advisory team. E. self-directed team.

C. virtual team.

What may cause team members to suppress their dissenting opinions? A. team efficacy B. self-efficacy C. cohesion D. conformity E. team production

D. conformity

Janet works on a team of 15 people working in research and development for a toymaker. They have weekly meetings to discuss new toy ideas. Occasionally Janet will have a good idea that she wishes to discuss, but it takes so long for all of her other teammates to finish talking that she will often just not bother to bring it up. Occasionally, there are arguments about which new project should have the most resources devoted to it, but Janet finds her coworkers always maintain respect for each other and work out a solution. 88. Having problem getting her ideas out in meetings means Janet is experiencing A. groupthink. B. evaluation apprehension. C. team syndrome. D. production blocking. E. intentional sabotage

D. production blocking.

_____ rules are supposed to encourage divergent thinking while minimizing evaluation apprehension and other team dynamics problems. A. Brainstorming B. Brainwriting C. Electronic brainstorming D. Nominal group technique E. Gainsharing

A. Brainstorming

What type of meetings is Janet participating in? A. brainstorming B. cross-functional C. nominal D. constructive E. innovation

A. brainstorming

________ are employees with similar or complementary skills that are organized into one unit. A. Self-directed teams B. Developmental teams C. Task force teams D. Informal groups E. Social networks

B. Developmental teams

Which creative structure minimizes the problem of production blocking? A. brainstorming B. brainwriting C. electronic brainstorming D. nominal group technique E. gainsharing

B. brainwriting

Lorraine has worked at GHI Inc. for 14 years. GHI has a large building where each divisional unit is located on a different floor. Lorraine works on the accounting floor and belongs to the budget committee, where she met Sally from Engineering and Jonas from Receiving. This committee provides recommendations to upper management on various financial issues affecting the company. Each week, the three meet after work on Thursdays to play darts at a local pub. 81. Lorraine works in the unit in Accounting that handles Accounts Receivable. What type of team is this most likely to be? A. leadership team B. self-directed team C. virtual team D. task force team E. departmental team

E. departmental team

Production blocking and evaluation apprehension A. improve the creative process in teams. B. help teams to avoid excessive conformity pressure. C. are two ways to overcome group polarization in a team. D. reduce the discipline of a team in group meetings. E. hinder organizational decision making in teams.

E. hinder organizational decision making in teams.

Which one of the following allows employees to collectively plan, organize, and control work activities with little or no direct involvement of a higher-status supervisor? A. gainsharing teams B. production teams C. virtual teams D. advisory teams E. self-directed teams

E. self-directed teams

Some team-building interventions clarify the team's performance goals and increase the team's motivation to accomplish these goals.

TRUE

Team members typically hold one or more formal roles in the team as well as roles that they informally fulfill at various times

TRUE

Evaluation apprehension is most common in meetings attended by people with different levels of status or expertise.

True

DMI has several teams in their company. At any given time, the company may have teams starting and ending. Kimberly is on a team where everyone is being polite and deferring authority. Jose's team has just started to build consensus around the group's objectives. Victor's team has learned to efficiently coordinate and resolve conflicts. Sheena's team has just ended. 90. Kimberly is on a team that is A. forming. B. storming. C. norming. D. performing. E. adjourning.

A. forming.

Which of the following is not a factor that favors effective team behavior? A. individual rewards for contributions to the team B. information systems that support the team C. close physical layout of team members D. leadership that supports team behavior and structures E. distinctive clusters of work assigned to the team

A. individual rewards for contributions to the team

Employees are more motivated in teams because A. they have a drive to bond. B. they are not accountable to fellow team members. C. they are given additional funding. D. they consume time figuring out how to work together. E. they exert less effort than working alone.

A. they have a drive to bond.

Virtual teams should have A. a toolkit of communication channels. B. external consultants. C. vague operational objectives. D. long-term assignments. E. low level of bonding.

A. a toolkit of communication channels.

Which one of the following is an environmental driver? A. internal competition B. changing societal expectations C. lower safety standards D. team-based rewards E. coordinated information systems

B. changing societal expectations

_____ have become commonplace in most organizations. A. Gainsharing teams B. Production teams C. Virtual teams D. Advisory teams E. Self-directed teams

C. Virtual teams

Keeping the team size sufficiently small and designing tasks such that each team member's performance is measurable are two ways to A. minimize team cohesiveness. B. add more roles to the team. C. increase the risk of forming dysfunctional norms. D. minimize social loafing. E. minimize the process losses.

D. minimize social loafing

A task force refers to any A. informal group that has the same members as the permanent task-oriented group. B. formal group whose members work permanently and spend most of their time in that team. C. formal group whose members must be able to perform all of the tasks of the team. D. temporary team that investigates a particular problem and typically disbands when the decision is made. E. temporary team that has members in different locations who depend on information technologies to communicate and coordinate their work effort.

D. temporary team that investigates a particular problem and typically disbands when the decision is made.

Social loafing is most common in teams that are very small

FALSE - Social loafing is higher when individual performance is hidden. Individual performance tends to be hidden in very large teams.

The nominal group technique tends to produce more and better ideas than do traditional interacting groups

True

Employees in a department are considered a team only when they directly interact and coordinate work activities with each other.

true

Under stressful or dangerous conditions, people are more likely to stay together than disperse, even when the other people are strangers.

true

Of the five Cs, which one of the following has the behavior of accommodating others? A. cooperating B. coordinating C. communicating D. comforting E. concentrating

A. cooperating

The main reason teams become overconfident is because A. it is a team-level variation of self-enhancement. B. external threats weaken them. C. there is strong internal threat. D. it is a part of individual beliefs. E. it is part of human nature.

A. it is a team-level variation of self-enhancement.

Which of the following statements about evaluation apprehension in team settings is true? A. Evaluation apprehension increases with the individual's motivation to share his or her ideas. B. Evaluation apprehension is more likely to occur when team members formally evaluate each other's performance throughout the year. C. Evaluation apprehension motivates team members to generate creative solutions, no matter how silly they may sound. D. Evaluation apprehension tends to affect the discipline and functioning of team meetings. E. Evaluation apprehension can be extremely productive if the leader is skillful and charismatic.

B. Evaluation apprehension is more likely to occur when team members formally evaluate each other's performance throughout the year.

Social loafing occurs A. more in smaller rather than larger teams. B. more when the task is boring than when it is interesting. C. more in tasks with high interdependence. D. more when employees believe the team's objective is important. E. more among employees with collectivist rather than individualistic values.

B. more when the task is boring than when it is interesting.

_____ are more successful when the work site and technology support coordination and communication among team members and increase job enrichment. A. Gainsharing teams B. Production teams C. Virtual teams D. Advisory teams E. Self-directed teams

E. Self-directed teams

. In which decision-making structure do participants typically meet, but only interact with each other during two of the three steps of the process? A. delphi method B. nominal group technique C. brainstorming D. constructive conflict E. electronic brainstorming

B. nominal group technique

The _____ stage is marked by interpersonal conflict as members become more proactive and compete for various team roles. A. forming B. storming C. norming D. adjourning E. performing

B. storming

Brooks's Law says that adding more people to a late software project only makes it later. This law is mainly referring to A. the lack of team cohesiveness. B. the existence of process losses. C. excessive team norms. D. an unfriendly team environment. E. the formation of informal teams.

B. the existence of process losses.

A role is a set of behaviors that people are expected to perform because A. they need to present a certain image in their organization. B. they hold certain positions in a team and organization. C. of certain aptitudes and tastes that they possess. D. of the nature and type of the team environment. E. of the interpersonal conflicts in the team.

B. they hold certain positions in a team and organization.

Calculus, knowledge, and identification are the three A. stages of team development. B. ways to improve team cohesiveness. C. foundations of trust in teams. D. types of psychological contract. E. stages of conflict among team members.

C. foundations of trust in teams.

The team has developed its first real sense of cohesion and a consensus forms during which stage? A. forming B. storming C. norming D. adjourning E. performing

C. norming

Identify and describe three reasons employees join informal groups in organizational settings.

Drive to bond: Group membership fulfills the drive to bond (as well as the associated relatedness needs). We join friends for lunch or stop by their work areas for brief chats because this interaction fulfills this drive. Social identity: We define ourselves by our group affiliations. If we belong to work teams or informal groups that are viewed favorably by others, then we tend to view ourselves more favorably. We are motivated to become members of groups that are similar to ourselves because this reinforces our social identity. Goal accomplishment: People often join and remain members of informal groups to accomplish goals that cannot be accomplished individually. Emotional support: Under threatening circumstances, people are comforted by the mere presence of other people and are motivated to be near others, including strangers. Thus, even though they might accomplish the task well enough alone, people often join forces with others to manage the stress of risky or threatening situations.

What is task interdependence? Identify the three levels of task interdependence and give an organizational example for each.

Task interdependence exists when team members must share common inputs to their individual tasks, need to interact in the process of executing their work, or receive outcomes (such as rewards) that are partly determined by the performance of others. The three levels of interdependence are pooled, sequential, and reciprocal. Pooled interdependence exists where work units operate independently, except for reliance on a common resource or authority. For example, several company divisions depend on the same corporate pool of money to fund new capital projects. Sequential interdependence occurs where one person's output is the direct input for another person or unit. This interdependent linkage is found in manufacturing operations where the final assembly team depends on subassembly teams to maintain quality parts and sufficient inventory. The highest level of interdependence is reciprocal interdependence in which work output is exchanged back and forth among individuals or work units. This relationship exists in work teams where work-in-progress is passed back and forth several times before the final service or product is completed.

What is team cohesion? List the factors affecting team cohesion

Team cohesion refers to the degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their motivation to remain members. It is a characteristic of the team, including the extent to which its members are attracted to the team, are committed to the team's goals or tasks, and feel a collective sense of team pride. The following factors affect team cohesion: member similarity, team size, member interaction, difficult entry, team success, and external competition or challenges.

Pooled interdependence is A. essential for team effectiveness. B. the same as reciprocal interdependence. C. stronger than sequential interdependence. D. the best way to avoid social loafing. E. the lowest level of interdependence.

E. the lowest level of interdependence.

What are team norms? How are they developed in an organization?

Norms are the informal rules and shared expectations that groups establish to regulate the behavior of their members. Norms develop when teams form because people need to anticipate or predict how others will act. Even subtle events during the team's formation, such as how team members initially greet each other and where they sit in the first meetings, can initiate norms that are later difficult to change. Norms also form as team members discover behaviors that help them function more effectively.

Having plenty of structure is a success factor for virtual teams.

True

Self-directed work teams plan, organize, and control activities with little or no direct involvement of supervisors.

True

Teams are well-suited to complex work that can be divided into more specialized roles.

True

Teams tend to have more cohesion when entry to the team is restricted.

True

The Beswick Company has an organizational team whose members are highly interdependent but have different goals. The organization should try to reduce the level of interdependence.

True

You have just been asked to lead a team of 50 people. How do you organize the work? A. Break the team into smaller groups by abilities. B. Tell your supervisor to reduce the number of people. C. Ask for more people. D. Encourage them to all hold each other accountable. E. Convince them that they have a new social identity.

A. Break the team into smaller groups by abilities.

Teams with strong fault lines A. experience more dysfunctional conflict within the team. B. proceed more quickly through the team development process. C. have team members with similar demographic and professional backgrounds. D. have very few members in the team. E. have better interpersonal relations.

A. experience more dysfunctional conflict within the team.

Which of the following describes virtual teams? A. groups of employees who are almost (virtually) identical to each other in skills and values B. cross-functional groups of employees that operate across space, time, and organizational boundaries C. formal work teams in which most members do not feel that they are really part of the team D. informal groups that meet only in cyberspace E. groups of employees from different departments who are located near each other

B. cross-functional groups of employees that operate across space, time, and organizational boundaries

Team cohesiveness tends to be higher when A. the team is large and established. B. entry into the team is difficult. C. the team has distinct fault lines. D. members have limited interaction. E. external competition is limited.

B. entry into the team is difficult.

What makes a virtual team different from a conventional team? A. size and heterogeneity B. lack of co-location C. joint optimization and primary work unit D. norms and trust E. independence from information technology

B. lack of co-location

_____ are knowledge structures mutually held by team members about expectations and ideals of the collective task and team dynamics. A. Team identities B. Coordinating routines C. Team mental models D. Roles E. Interpersonal relations

C. Team mental models

The budget committee is an example of a(n): A. leadership team. B. self-directed team. C. advisory team. D. task force team. E. community of practice

C. advisory team.

Social loafing is minimized by A. decreasing job enrichment. B. forming larger teams. C. using team members who are self-motivated. D. maximizing each member's contribution through measurement. E. assigning low task significance to the objectives.

C. using team members who are self-motivated.

Two company divisions produce completely different products but must seek funding from the same head office for a capital expansion project. The relationship between these two divisions would be best described as A. total interdependence. B. sequential interdependence. C. reciprocal interdependence. D. anticipatory interdependence. E. pooled interdependence.

E. pooled interdependence.

Which of the following is true about calculus-based trust? A. It is the lowest potential trust in organizations. B. It can sustain a team's relationship by itself. C. It is mainly based on the other party's predictability. D. It occurs when one party thinks, feels, and responds like the other party. E. It is based on the knowledge of the other member's behavior.

A. It is the lowest potential trust in organizations.

In which stage of team development is there a period of testing and orientation in which members learn about each other and evaluate the benefits and costs of continued membership? A. forming B. storming C. norming D. adjourning E. performing

A. forming

The five stages of team development

1. Forming 2. Storming 3. Norming 4. Performing 5. Adjourning Forming, the first stage of team development, is a period of testing and orientation in which members learn about each other and evaluate the benefits and costs of continued membership. People tend to be polite, will defer to authority, and try to find out what is expected of them and how they will fit into the team. The storming stage is marked by interpersonal conflict as members become more proactive and compete for various team roles. Members try to establish norms of appropriate behavior and performance standards. During the norming stage, the team develops its first real sense of cohesion as roles are established and a consensus forms around group objectives and a common or complementary team-based mental model. By the performing stage, team members have learned to efficiently coordinate and resolve conflicts. In high-performance teams, members are highly cooperative, have a high level of trust in each other, are committed to group objectives, and identify with the team. Finally, the adjourning stage occurs when the team is about to disband. Team members shift their attention away from task orientation to a relationship focus

The drive to bond and the dynamics of social identity theory both explain why people A. join informal groups. B. tend to ignore team norms whenever possible. C. have difficulty feeling cohesive in teams. D. engage in social loafing. E. work better alone than in teams.

A. join informal groups.

To manage virtual teams effectively, organizations should A. provide documented work processes and clear objectives. B. specify the communication technology that the teams should use. C. avoid face-to-face contact among team members. D. use virtual teams only for long-term projects. E. monitor the progress of virtual teams closely and intervene quickly when problems arise.

A. provide documented work processes and clear objectives.

In which of the following scenarios would a diverse team be better than a homogeneous team? A. representation bringing different viewpoints to the decision B. on tasks requiring a high degree of cooperation C. in situations where the team must reach the performing stage of team development quickly D. in most organizational activities because they will have fewer conflicts E. if the team is working on a project that involves routine tasks

A. representation bringing different viewpoints to the decision

Which one of the following types of teams is best known for having members who are organized around work processes that complete an entire piece of work requiring several interdependent tasks and have substantial autonomy over the execution of those tasks? A. self-directed B. communities of practice C. task forces D. informal groups E. production teams

A. self-directed

Informal groups A. are initiated by the organization for special purposes. B. exist primarily for the benefit of their members. C. perform routine organizational goals. D. always have a high level of interdependence. E. perform uncommon tasks of the organization.

B. exist primarily for the benefit of their members.

Employees with _____, in which work output is exchanged back and forth among individuals, should be organized into teams to facilitate coordination in their interwoven relationship. A. pooled interdependence B. reciprocal interdependence C. counterproductive norms D. high levels of social loafing E. a very high level of heterogeneity

B. reciprocal interdependence

When compared to people in low-cohesion teams, members of high-cohesion teams A. are less motivated to maintain their membership. B. resolve conflicts swiftly and effectively. C. are less sensitive to each other's needs. D. are less likely to share information with each other. E. have external locus of control.

B. resolve conflicts swiftly and effectively.

Jafina works for a Sunshine Manufacturing, where her team shares a machine and materials with another team that works a different shift. Each team is responsible for ensuring that the machine is in working order and the work area is fully stocked before handing it over to the other team at shift change. While working, Jafina begins the manufacturing process, then passes her work along to her teammate, Georgia, to complete the next step of the process. After this, Georgia passes it along to Jeremy to complete the process. Jafina's team functions with ______ interdependence. A. reciprocal B. sequential C. complete D. pooled E. collective

B. sequential

Barry was assigned recently to a large team working on a major software release that was taking longer than expected. Barry and the other latecomers into the project spent a month partnered with a senior programmer who went over the project in detail with them and got them up to speed. Unfortunately, this training put the project even farther behind schedule. After a few months of working on the project with so many other programmers, Barry's work output becomes noticeably lower than it was before when he was working independently. 84. _____ is the loss of work time on the project due to training. A. Process gain B. The cost of doing business C. Brooks's law D. Mythical man-hours E. Immeasurable results

C. Brooks's law

_________ is a strategy that can be quite effective at generating creative ideas with minimal production blocking, evaluation apprehension, or conformity problems. A. Brainstorming B. Brainwriting C. Electronic brainstorming D. Nominal group technique E. Gainsharing

C. Electronic brainstorming

How do norms affect the behavior of team members? A. They encourage members to try new behaviors not previously sanctioned by the team. B. They encourage the members to think out of the box and provide innovative solutions. C. They help the team regulate and guide the behaviors of its members. D. They help the team move from the forming to storming stages of team development. E. They enable team members to have complete autonomy in their functioning

C. They help the team regulate and guide the behaviors of its members

Which of the following is true about virtual teams? A. People trust team members on virtual teams more easily than on face-to-face teams. B. Cultural differences between group members can be easily overcome. C. Virtual teams enable organizational learning and promote globalization. D. Surveys report higher levels of satisfaction with virtual team members than co-located team members. E. Conflict is more easily resolved in virtual teams.

C. Virtual teams enable organizational learning and promote globalization.

Which are the task-related characteristics in the "five C's" of effective member behaviors? A. comforting and communicating B. cooperating and conflict resolving C. coordinating and communicating D. conflict resolving and coordinating E. comforting and cooperating

C. coordinating and communicating

Groups are considered teams only when A. they operate without any supervisor. B. everyone in the department has the same set of skills. C. employees directly interact with each other and coordinate work activities. D. all employees are located in the same physical area. E. most of the employees have the same level of motivation to accomplish goals.

C. employees directly interact with each other and coordinate work activities.

The three meeting after work to play darts is an example of a(n) A. community of practice. B. self-directed team. C. informal group. D. skunkworks. E. advisory team.

C. informal group.

. Liam works in a team of four other accounting professionals within a company. Liam doesn't particularly agree with many of his teammates' ideas, such as leaving work early and failing to double-check some account entries. However, he works comfortably with the group because their behavior and decisions are predictable. What foundation of trust does Liam have in this team? A. calculus-based B. identification-based C. knowledge-based D. cooperative E. collaborative

C. knowledge-based

Which of the following foundations of trust is determined mainly by the other party's predictability? A. calculus-based B. identification-based C. knowledge-based D. relational E. transactional

C. knowledge-based

DMI has several teams in their company. At any given time, the company may have teams starting and ending. Kimberly is on a team where everyone is being polite and deferring authority. Jose's team has just started to build consensus around the group's objectives. Victor's team has learned to efficiently coordinate and resolve conflicts. Sheena's team has just ended. Jose is on a team that is A. forming. B. storming. C. norming. D. performing. E. adjourning.

C. norming.

In team dynamics, process losses are best described as A. productivity losses that occur when individual members need to learn a new task. B. information lost due to imperfect communication among team members. C. resources expended toward team development and maintenance. D. knowledge lost when a team member leaves the organization. E. knowledge lost when tacit knowledge is converted to structural knowledge.

C. resources expended toward team development and maintenance.

Jafina works for a Sunshine Manufacturing, where her team shares a machine and materials with another team that works a different shift. Each team is responsible for ensuring that the machine is in working order and the work area is fully stocked before handing it over to the other team at shift change. While working, Jafina begins the manufacturing process, then passes her work along to her teammate, Georgia, to complete the next step of the process. After this, Georgia passes it along to Jeremy to complete the process. 86. ______ interdependence occurs when two teams share a work space and a machine. A. Reciprocal B. Sequential C. Complete D. Pooled E. Collective

D. Pooled

During the _____ stage of team development, team members shift their attention away from task orientation to a relationship focus. A. forming B. storming C. norming D. adjourning E. performing

D. adjourning

Which of the following competencies would primarily assist team maintenance? A. cooperating B. coordinating C. communicating D. comforting E. concentrating

D. comforting

Which of the following is not a skill or characteristic required of virtual team members? A. higher emotional intelligence B. good communication technology skills C. strong self-leadership skills D. extraverted personalities E. good conflict resolution skills

D. extraverted personalities

Which strategy to reduce social loafing are you implementing if each team member's task has high motivation potential? A. form smaller teams B. specialize tasks C. measure individual performance D. increase job enrichment E. select motivated team-oriented employees

D. increase job enrichment

According to social identity theory A. teams are never as productive as individuals working alone. B. the most effective teams have a large number of members. C. the team development process occurs more rapidly for heterogeneous teams than for homogeneous teams. D. people define themselves by their group affiliations. E. teams are less productive in performing complex tasks.

D. people define themselves by their group affiliations.

DMI has several teams in their company. At any given time, the company may have teams starting and ending. Kimberly is on a team where everyone is being polite and deferring authority. Jose's team has just started to build consensus around the group's objectives. Victor's team has learned to efficiently coordinate and resolve conflicts. Sheena's team has just ended. Victor is on a team that is A. forming. B. storming. C. norming. D. performing.

D. performing.

Barry was assigned recently to a large team working on a major software release that was taking longer than expected. Barry and the other latecomers into the project spent a month partnered with a senior programmer who went over the project in detail with them and got them up to speed. Unfortunately, this training put the project even farther behind schedule. After a few months of working on the project with so many other programmers, Barry's work output becomes noticeably lower than it was before when he was working independently. Barry's reduced work output is most likely due to A. a lack of knowledge. B. job dissatisfaction. C. a hostile work environment. D. social loafing. E. lack of proper supervision.

D. social loafing.

In which of the following scenarios would stakeholders be more likely to believe the team's decision is fair? A. representation bringing different viewpoints to the decision B. on tasks requiring a high degree of cooperation C. in situations where the team must reach the performing stage of team development quickly D. when the team mirrors the surface or deep-level diversity of its constituents E. if the team is working on a project that involves routine tasks

D. when the team mirrors the surface or deep-level diversity of its constituents

Which of the following generally occurs during the storming stage of team development? A. Members learn about each other and evaluate the benefits and costs of continued membership. B. Members shift their attention away from task orientation to a socio-emotional focus as they realize their relationship is coming to an end. C. Members learn to coordinate their actions and become more task-oriented. D. Members develop their first real sense of cohesion and, through disclosure and feedback, make an effort to understand and accept each other. E. Members try to establish norms of appropriate behavior and performance standards.

E. Members try to establish norms of appropriate behavior and performance standards.

Which of the following is not one of the effects of team efficacy? A. Teams set more challenging goals. B. Teams are more motivated to achieve goals. C. Teams feel invulnerable. D. Teams have more positive moods. E. Teams engage in more conflict

E. Teams engage in more conflict

Which of the following is a major problem associated with team-building activities? A. They cannot be used to clarify the team's performance goals. B. They do not focus on improving relations among team members. C. Team building consists of informal activities rather than formal activities. D. Team building attempts slow down the team development process. E. They are used as general solutions rather than specific solutions.

E. They are used as general solutions rather than specific solutions.

DMI has several teams in their company. At any given time, the company may have teams starting and ending. Kimberly is on a team where everyone is being polite and deferring authority. Jose's team has just started to build consensus around the group's objectives. Victor's team has learned to efficiently coordinate and resolve conflicts. Sheena's team has just ended. Sheena is on a team that is A. forming. B. storming. C. norming. D. performing. E. adjourning.

E. adjourning.

"Fault lines" are more likely to occur when teams A. have very few members. B. are involved in sequential interdependence. C. engage in participative management. D. are highly interdependent. E. are diverse.

E. are diverse.

Team efficacy can cause team members to be _____ their decisions. A. uncomfortable with B. confused about C. hesitant and doubtful about D. more aware of the characteristics of E. overconfident in

E. overconfident in

Synergie Inc. formed a team to improve revenues for its service stations along major highways in Malaysia. This team, which included a service station manager, a truck driver, and four or five marketing executives, disbanded after it had reviewed the Malaysian service stations and submitted a business plan. This team is called a(n) A. skunkworks. B. bootleg group. C. informal group. D. community of practice. E. task force.

E. task force.

Fellow team members often monitor performance more closely than a traditional supervisor. This is particularly true where the team's performance depends on A. technological factors. B. the special efforts of members. C. certain skills of members. D. the aptitudes of members. E. the worst performer in the group.

E. the worst performer in the group.

An important rule of brainstorming is that all of the participants should evaluate and criticize the other team members' ideas.

False - Brainstorming tries to leverage the creative potential of teams by establishing four simple rules: (1) Speak freely, describe even the craziest ideas; (2) don't criticize others or their ideas; (3) provide as many ideas as possible, the quality of ideas increases with the quantity of ideas; and (4) build on the ideas that others have presented.

Students experience sequential interdependence when they are lined up at the laser printers trying to get their assignments printed just before a class deadline.

False - Interdependence is higher under sequential interdependence, in which the output of one person becomes the direct input for another person or unit. Here, the output of a student's printing is not the direct input for another student. Pooled interdependence happens in the given situation, as the students are sharing the printer.

In most self-directed work teams, the supervisor assigns tasks that individual team members perform.

False - One of the distinctive features of self-directed teams is that they have substantial autonomy over the execution of their tasks. In particular, these teams plan, organize, and control work activities with little or no direct involvement of a higher-status supervisor.

What is social loafing? Under what circumstances does social loafing become prominent? How can it be minimized?

Social loafing occurs when people exert less effort (and usually perform at a lower level) when working in teams than when working alone. Social loafing tends to be more serious when the individual's performance is less likely to be noticed, such as when people work together in large teams. The individual's output is also less noticeable where the team produces a single output (rather than each team member producing output), such as finding a single solution to a customer's problem. There is less social loafing when each team member's contribution is more noticeable; this can be achieved by reducing the size of the team, for example, or measuring each team member's performance.

Identify and describe the "five C's" of member behavior in effective teams.

The "five C's" model includes cooperating, coordinating, communicating, comforting, and conflict resolving. Cooperating: Effective team members are willing and able to work together rather than alone. This includes sharing resources and being sufficiently adaptive or flexible to accommodate the needs and preferences of other team members. Coordinating: Effective team members actively manage the team's work so it is performed efficiently and harmoniously. This typically requires that effective team members know the work of other team members, not just their own. Communicating: Effective team members transmit information freely (rather than hoarding), efficiently (using the best channel and language), and respectfully (minimizing arousal of negative emotions). They also listen actively to coworkers. Comforting: Effective team members help coworkers maintain positive and healthy psychological states. They show empathy, provide psychological comfort, and build coworker feelings of confidence and self-worth. Conflict resolving: Conflict is inevitable in social settings, so effective team members have the skills and motivation to resolve dysfunctional disagreements among team members.