MGMT 3720 Chapter 10

24) With reference to the team effectiveness model, which of the following is one of the key components of an effective team, included under the category of contextual factors? A) team efficacy B) climate of trust C) common purpose D) social loafing E) specific goals

B

26) According to the team effectiveness model, which of the following is a process variable that influences effectiveness of a team? A) leadership and structure B) team efficacy C) member flexibility D) performance evaluation and reward systems E) abilities of members

B

28) Araceli is a team member in a large corporation. She never speaks in team meetings because she has seen members talk behind each other's backs after the meetings. Members are constantly monitoring the other members' work and looking for mistakes to point out in a meeting. According to the information provided, which contextual factor is lacking in Araceli's team? A) adequate resources B) climate of trust C) team structure D) performance evaluations E) leadership

B

3) Work groups are characterized by ________. A) the emphasis on generating positive synergy B) the goal of sharing information among members C) the mutual and team-based accountability for results D) the need to attain collective performance E) the availability of complementary skill sets

B

30) Which of the following reward systems is likely to reinforce team effort and commitment? A) job sharing B) gainsharing C) piece-rate pay D) merit-based pay E) skill-based pay

B

34) The controller role in a team is responsible for ________. A) initiating creative ideas B) examining details and enforcing rules C) offering insightful analysis of options D) coordinating and integrating group tasks E) providing directions and following up with implementation

B

42) Which of the following statements is true regarding size of teams? A) The most effective teams have twelve to fifteen members. B) When teams have excess members, cohesiveness declines. C) As team size increases, social loafing decreases. D) When teams have excess members, mutual accountability increases. E) Members of large teams coordinate work better when pressed for time.

B

44) Which of the following statements is true with regard to team processes? A) This category comprises variables that relate to how teams should be staffed. B) Effective teams invest time and effort to discuss and agree on a purpose that belongs to them both collectively and individually. C) Once a specific goal is chosen, effective teams resist making any changes in them so as to maintain the momentum of the team. D) Effective teams do not engage in task and relationship conflicts. E) Effective teams begin by selecting the right kind of people to be members of the team.

B

48) While discussing their marketing campaign for a new product, the members of the cross-functional team responsible for Carver Inc. realized that a couple of changes relating to their prior plan would be beneficial. The offer of a franchising that had earlier been brushed off by the company head was discussed thoroughly, and it was decided that it would be implemented on a trial basis initially and on full scale if found to work well. From the information provided, it can be concluded that this cross-functional team has a high degree of ________. A) demography B) reflexivity C) conformity D) diversity E) uncertainty

B

53) Which of the following is most likely to increase team efficacy? A) providing vast and generic goals B) helping the team achieve small successes C) creating a team such that it has diverse members D) ensuring that team goals are substantially difficult E) reducing the number of members on a team drastically

B

56) With a deadline approaching, all seven members of Sharon's product development team were working round-the-clock and still the work was not completed in time. After the project was completed, Sharon spoke individually with the members to determine the cause for this delay. Many members complained, saying the work given to them was not in accordance with their roles. Some were unclear about which team member to approach when faced with a problem, and many underestimated the time and effort the project demanded. This team is characterized by ________. A) a clear role allocation for all team members B) dissimilar mental models C) high degree of role clarity D) excessively large team size E) a strong climate of trust

B

71) More and more organizations are resorting to teams as they represent a better way to use employee talents.

True

73) The goal of a work group is to share information.

True

20) Virtual teams are characterized by ________ in comparison to teams which interact face-to-face. A) low popularity among companies B) low social rapport and direct interaction C) low sharing of unique information D) low need for supervision E) low need for publicizing throughout the organization

B

2) Which of the following statements best defines a work group? A) A work group performs at a level greater than the sum of its inputs from individual members. B) A work group interacts primarily to share information, rather than to engage in work that requires joint effort. C) A work group consists of members who work together and generate positive synergy through coordinated effort. D) A work group consists of members having complementary skills that are applied in a coordinated fashion to the task at hand. E) A work group involves individual and mutual accountability regarding results and outcomes.

B

32) People scoring high on ________ are valuable in teams because they're good at backing up fellow team members and at sensing when their support is truly needed. A) conscientiousness B) positivity C) emotional stability D) agreeableness E) openness to experience

A

41) Cultural diversity is an asset for teams where tasks ________. A) require a variety of viewpoints B) are simple and routine C) involve emotional labor D) are highly technical E) required for completing the work are highly independent

A

58) When teams are performing nonroutine activities, ________ stimulate discussion, promote critical assessment of problems and options, and can lead to better team decisions. A) task conflicts B) disciplinary conflicts C) relationship conflicts D) resource allocation conflicts E) discriminatory conflicts

A

1) The current popularity of teams can be attributed to the fact that ________. A) they enable quicker accomplishment of goals than individuals B) they represent a better way to use employee talents C) they reduce the need for coordination and supervision D) they aid in the performance of simple tasks that do not require diverse inputs E) they strengthen the worth of individual teams players over the team

B

12) ________ teams are defined as groups of employees who perform highly related or interdependent jobs and take on many of the responsibilities of their former supervisors. A) Independent B) Self-managed work C) Cross-functional D) Problem-solving E) Traditional

B

13) Nick, the director of manufacturing at a large electronics company, has created a team of eleven employees from quality control for working on high priority projects. Nick gives the team members the responsibility of planning and scheduling their own work and making all functional decisions. Also, members of this team evaluate each other's performance. This is an example of a ________ team. A) problem-solving B) self-managed work C) cross-functional D) virtual E) task-resolution

B

17) GoAir, a low-cost airline, has created a team made up of employees from production, planning, quality control, tooling, design engineering, and information systems to automate the company's C-17 program. This team is most likely to be an example of a ________ team. A) command B) cross-functional C) self-managed work D) problem-solving E) task

B

23) Which of the following is not one of the key components of effective teams? A) team efficacy B) company reputation C) adequate resources D) member flexibility E) leadership and structure

B

62) Shane Dermott is a manager at a software design firm that develops software programs for clients using multiple teams of specialists. One of his most successful teams has been performing very well for years and so it came as a surprise to Shane when he noticed a sharp drop in the team's performance. He decided to speak with the team members individually and find a solution. After interviewing all 7 team members, he determined that one of the team members performed routine administrative tasks that were hardly visible to any of the other team members and understood that this was a case of social loafing which demotivated the entire group. Which of the following would most likely improve the performance of the employee who was social loafing? A) encouraging him to work more independently B) making him individually responsible for definite and crucial tasks C) empowering him to make decisions autonomously D) providing him with administrative training E) giving him additional assignments to complete

B

10) Problem-solving teams can ________. A) implement the recommended changes to resolve a problem B) assume responsibility for the outcomes of a solution they implemented C) provide recommendations after a discussion amongst department members D) resolve problems of different departments in an organization simultaneously E) combine the expertise of employees across different divisions and organizational levels

C

11) The supervisors of the production division of one of the branches of Georgia Mills have been informed of some irregularities noticed in inventory of raw materials by some trusted subordinates. To get a clearer picture, the supervisors had a quick meeting with the subordinates who reported the matter over lunch. The subordinates recommended rotating the schedule of employees who account for the incoming and used up stock so as to pinpoint the defaulting employee. The supervisors agreed that this was a good strategy but admitted that the matter must be escalated to the production manager before such a change can be implemented. They followed up this meeting with subsequent sessions to evaluate how the change worked. The supervisors and subordinates form a(n) ________ team in this scenario. A) cross-functional B) independent C) problem-solving D) virtual E) self-managed

C

15) Which of the following teams is more likely to be made up of employees from about the same hierarchical level but different work areas? A) problem-solving B) self-managed work C) cross-functional D) traditional E) departmental

C

16) To retain its edge in the organic health food market, Natura has established a high-priority team comprised of senior executives from the company's production, marketing, and research divisions. These employees work together closely to study consumer attitudes about organic health foods and come up with a closely monitored development and marketing strategy for new products. This ensures that each division is informed of the specific needs, timelines, and expected outcomes of the strategy. It also makes Natura a company that adapts to changes in market trends swiftly. The team Natura uses here is of the ________ type. A) problem-solving B) self-managed work C) cross-functional D) traditional E) departmental

C

27) Jean Wills, a trainer with Leverage Inc., is infuriated because the conference hall that she had booked for her morning session with a new batch of trainees will be occupied by the HR team for the day. Jean feels that the company only superficially commits to training and that it is not a priority as this lack of facilities for training is a recurring phenomenon. Recently, she had asked the HR department to supply printed copies of her material for the orientation and training modules to the new trainees, and HR refused, saying the soft copies available on the systems would suffice. Which of the following contextual areas is the source of problem between the training department and the HR department in this scenario? A) performance evaluation B) reward systems C) adequate resources D) leadership E) structure

C

36) Which of the following terms describes the degree to which members of a work unit share a common demographic attribute, such as age, sex, race, educational level, or length of service? A) social conformity B) organizational value C) organizational demography D) diversity E) organizational multiculturalism

C

40) Which of the following statements is true regarding a culturally diverse team? A) Elements of diversity do not interfere with team processes. B) Culturally homogeneous teams have more difficulty learning to work with each other and solving problems than culturally heterogeneous teams. C) Generally, newly formed culturally diverse teams underperform as compared to newly formed culturally homogeneous teams. D) Cultural diversity within a team is not advisable for those tasks that call for a variety of viewpoints. E) Culturally diverse teams are more affected by surface-level diversity than by deep-level diversity.

C

45) ________ illustrates a process loss from using teams. A) Organizational demography B) Role conflict C) Social loafing D) Multitasking E) Profit-sharing

C

5) Which of the following statements is true regarding a work team? A) Work teams are rarely used in organizations today. B) Work teams are generally less flexible than traditional departments. C) Work teams generate positive synergy through coordinated effort. D) Work teams are less responsive to changes in the internal and external environment of the company. E) Work teams involve members of random and varied skill sets.

C

54) ________ are defined as organized mental representations of the key elements within a team's environment that team members share. A) Path-goal models B) Task models C) Mental models D) Individual models E) Specific models

C

59) Which of the following is an example of a task conflict? A) Will and Hilda have been removed from the team they worked with after they were overheard making derogatory comments about one of their colleague's racial origin. B) Henry and Solomon have been reprimanded by their project lead for spending too much time using the Internet for personal use at work. C) Linda and Dorothy had a disagreement over which of their employees should be assigned to work on a high-priority project. D) Sally and her manager have just had a heated argument because Sally feels she has been overlooked for a promotion that was her rightful due. E) The company head has resigned after longstanding conflict between him and his top management employees.

C

6) A work team is characterized by ________. A) the goal of sharing information B) the presence of neutral to negative synergy C) the availability of complementary skills among members D) the individual accountability for outcomes and results E) the mere accumulation of individual efforts

C

69) Work should be performed by an individual if ________. A) the work is complex and requires different perspectives B) the work creates a common purpose or set of goals for the people in the group that is more than the aggregate of individual goals C) the work is simple and does not require diverse input D) several tasks that are interdependent are to be performed for completing the work E) performing the work requires learning a new technology or understanding a new system

C

19) Which of the following types of teams allows for collaboration between team members who are physically dispersed? A) problem-solving teams B) self-managed work teams C) task teams D) virtual teams E) command teams

D

21) Which of the following is desirable when a crucial project is delegated to a virtual team? A) encouraging less interaction among members so they completely focus on the project B) avoiding publicity of the team's progress and success in the organization C) promoting a sense of independence over group spirit to encourage competition D) engaging in close monitoring of the work being done by the team throughout the project E) discouraging the sharing of unique information as it benefits some employees unfairly

D

31) Which of the following pairs of personality dimensions contribute to high team effectiveness? A) introversion and reflexivity B) type A and type B C) reflexivity and submissiveness D) conscientiousness and openness to experience E) perfectionism and rule consciousness

D

33) Which of the following statements is true regarding team composition? A) A team's performance is merely the summation of its individual members' abilities. B) High-ability teams find it hard to adapt to changing situations. C) Agreeableness is the only personality dimension that aids the ability to work in groups. D) In successful teams, members should be selected to ensure all the various roles are filled. E) A high-ability team will function well irrespective of the deficits in the abilities of the leader.

D

38) According to the concept of organizational demography, if team members have dissimilar experiences, it will lead to ________. A) increased employee satisfaction B) decreased level of conflicts C) higher employee motivation D) higher employee turnover E) higher team efficacy

D

4) The goal of work groups is ________. A) generating positive synergy B) improving collective performance C) inculcating a climate of trust D) sharing relevant information E) enhancing team efficacy

D

50) Effective teams translate their common purpose into ________ goals. A) universal B) generic C) vast D) specific E) diverse

D

52) Alberto's team is developing a database for the water pollution data of three cities. Before he begins on this intensive project, he wants to improve the team efficacy of his team. Which of the following actions can Alberto take to increase team efficacy before the project starts? A) plan a team outing for the team members B) make sure that his team is not comprised of more than nine people C) spend considerable time evaluating team members and allocating proper roles for each D) provide client's software and database training for all the team members E) create team goals that are very challenging

D

55) Managers facing job candidates who lack team skills should do all of the following except ________. A) avoid hiring the job candidate B) hire the candidate, but assign them to tasks where teamwork is not important C) provide the candidate with the type of training that can help improve his or her ability to be a successful member of a team D) choose the individual with the best technical skills regardless of his or her ability to perform as a member of a team E) bring the candidate on board, but assign the individual to an area where teamwork is not a priority

D

60) Which of the following must be avoided if one wants to create and maintain an effective team? A) task conflicts B) reflexivity C) specific goals D) relationship conflicts E) congruent mental models

D

7) Which of the following accurately differentiates between work groups and work teams? A) Work groups are used by top-management employees, while work teams are used by lower-level workers. B) Work groups are used for functions relating to areas of the external environment, while work teams are exclusively used for departmental problems and issues. C) Work groups involve members who have complementary skills, while work teams use employees who have random and varied skills. D) Work teams generate a potential for an organization to generate greater outputs with no increase in inputs, while work groups cannot perform this function. E) Work teams represent the mere accumulation of individual efforts, while work groups generate a positive synergy within the organization.

D

70) The work of your group would be better done in teams if the members of the team are ________. A) independent B) autonomous C) individualistic D) interdependent E) reflexive

D

8) The extensive use of work teams benefits organizations by ________. A) generating neutral synergy among all employees of the team B) eliminating the need for mutual accountability for results C) developing the various team member's skills such that they are random and varied D) generating a potential for creating greater outputs without increasing inputs E) ensuring that the mere accumulation of individual efforts is used for group work

D

9) A team consists of employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving the work environment but they do not have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggestions. This is most likely to be a(n) ________ team. A) cross-functional B) virtual C) self-managed work D) problem-solving E) independent

D

14) Which of the following statements is true regarding self-managed work teams? A) Self-managed work teams typically consist of forty to fifty employees. B) Self-managed work teams typically manage conflicts well. C) Members of self-managed work teams typically report lower job satisfaction. D) Self-managed work teams are typically composed of employees from different departments who work independent of each other. E) In the case of self-managed work teams, supervisory positions take on decreased importance.

E

18) Which of the following statements is true regarding a cross-functional team? A) A cross-functional team is made up of employees from different hierarchical levels. B) A cross-functional team is made up of employees from the same department. C) Cross-functional teams have decreased in popularity in the last few decades. D) In the case of a cross-functional team, the early stages of development are typically very short. E) Cross-functional teams are used for developing new ideas and coordinating complex projects.

E

22) Which of the following statements is not true regarding multiteam systems? A) They are used to offset the problems associated with adding more members to an existing team. B) They are collections of two or more independent teams that share a superordinate goal. C) They are effectively teams of teams. D) They are more successful when they have boundary spanners. E) They perform better when lines of communication are restricted.

E

25) The team effectiveness model classifies the key components of effective teams into three general categories: context, composition, and process. Which of the following variables belongs to the composition category? A) adequate resources B) conflict level C) team efficacy D) performance evaluation system E) personality of team members

E

29) In which of the following teams is leadership of most importance to coordinate the efforts of various teams in order to produce a desired outcome? A) technical teams B) self-managed work teams C) problem-solving teams D) management teams E) multi-team systems

E

35) The adviser role in a team is responsible for ________. A) providing structure B) fighting external battles C) offering insightful analysis of options D) coordinating and integrating group tasks E) encouraging the search for more information

E

37) Organizational demography suggests that attributes such as age or the date of joining should help the organization in ________. A) promoting diversity and multiculturalism B) reducing discrimination in the workplace C) determining appropriate compensation packages D) assessing the training needs at an occupational level E) predicting employee turnover in the company

E

39) Which of the following is true with regard to the impact of diversity on team effectiveness? A) High levels of diversity among team members benefit the group from the stage of forming. B) Race and gender diversity bear the highest positive impact on team performance. C) Leadership has a negligible role to play in diverse teams because the members manage themselves autonomously. D) Elements of diversity are undesirable as they interfere with team processes in the long run. E) Cultural diversity serves as an asset for tasks that call for a variety of viewpoints once the team has worked out its differences.

E

43) Which of the following statements represents a strategy that is desirable for making effective teams? A) Combining people with extremely high and extremely low abilities helps make a balanced team. B) Individuals should ideally have one role in a team as multiple roles reduce their effectiveness and efficiency. C) Diversity should be avoided as diverse teams involve a lot of conflict in day-to-day functioning. D) If a natural work unit is larger, its size must be maintained for the nature of the job requires large teams. E) The preference of individual members to work as a part of groups must be considered when forming teams.

E

46) Gerald Murphy is a manager at Wright & Wayner, a publishing house which is a very employee-friendly company. The demarcation between managers and subordinates is flexible and the nature of these reporting relationships is flexible and informal. Gerald recently assigned five of eight of his subordinates to work on a new publication project with a fairly tight deadline because he believed that these efficient employees would function even better with each other's support. A week before the deadline, however, Gerald realized that the group had been shirking work as each of the members thought that the project was not just his or her responsibility. Additionally, under the guise of working together, the team was actually doing their personal work, surfing the Internet, or just socializing. This scenario reflects ________. A) gainsharing B) high process gains C) reflexive goal-setting D) job sharing E) social loafing

E

47) A team that has a good plan but is also willing to adjust its master plan and adapt when conditions call for it demonstrates high ________, an important variable in successful team processes. A) goal specificity B) goal congruency C) conformity D) diversity E) reflexivity

E

51) The belief that effective teams have in their ability to succeed is called ________. A) goal specificity B) reflexivity C) mental model D) common purpose E) team efficacy

E

57) Which of the following is not a common characteristic of an effective team? A) The team has adequate resources. B) The team has effective leadership. C) The team has a climate of trust. D) The team has a performance and evaluation system that reflects team contributions. E) The team is the right size for the task—about 15-20 people.

E

61) When individuals engage in ________, they coast on the group's effort because their particular contributions cannot be identified. A) task conflicts B) gainsharing C) retaliating D) process gains E) social loafing

E

65) Which of the following will be useful in creating team players? A) technical training B) academic training C) job rotation D) cross-training E) negotiation training

E

68) Which of the following is true with regard to use of individuals and teams? A) Teams and individuals can be used interchangeably for all kinds of jobs without any significant impact seen on effectiveness. B) Teamwork requires less time and resources when compared to individual work. C) Individuals have increased communication, supervision, and conflict-management demands when compared to teams. D) Individuals are bound by a collective common purpose that is organizationally determined, and this typically reduces their performance. E) Task complexity and requirement of different perspectives must be used as criteria when assigning work to teams over individuals and vice versa.

E

72) Teams and traditional departments have the same level of flexibility and responsiveness to external changes.

False

74) Nancy is a part of a group at work that stresses collective goals and performance. Nancy is amazed at how well the members of the team use their skills to benefit themselves and their team members. Whenever a problem arises, the team, as a whole, works to provide reasons and solutions. She enjoys working in this group as there is a lot of positive energy. This group that Nancy is a part of is a work group.

False

75) Problem-solving teams discuss a problem, generate potential solutions, and implement them successfully.

False

80) FDS is a government agency which holds its yearly appraisals in December and provides employees with merit-based incentives based on their individual performance ratings. Merit is the only criterion for incentives at FDS and this is likely to have a strong positive impact on group performance.

False

81) Lower-ability teams are more adaptable to changing situations than high-ability teams.

False

83) Research has shown that the larger the team, the more effective its performance.

False

85) Social loafing illustrates a process gain from using teams.

False

86) Specificity refers to the degree to which a team reflects on and adjusts its master plan when necessary.

False

87) For creating good team players, an organization's reward system must be reworked to encourage competitive efforts rather than cooperative ones.

False

88) Problems such as lack of trust or lack of sharing information among team members in a competitive group can be swiftly changed by rewarding collective performance over individual performance.

False

89) Work that creates a common purpose or set of goals must be assigned to individuals, not groups.

False

90) Using teams makes sense when the assignment involves independent tasks.

False

76) In self-managed teams, supervisory positions may be eliminated.

True

77) Cross-functional teams consist of employees from about the same hierarchical level, but from different work areas, who come together to accomplish a task.

True

78) Low levels of virtuality in teams result in higher levels of information sharing.

True

79) A climate of trust among team members is a contextual factor relating to team effectiveness.

True

82) Conscientiousness and openness to experience are two personality dimensions of the Big Five personality model that predict better performance in teams.

True

84) When teams have excess members, cohesiveness and mutual accountability decline.

True