organization theory 9

Idea generation tasks

deal with creative tasks such as brainstorming a new direction or creating a new process.

Outcome interdependence

is when the rewards that an individual receives depend on the performance of others.

What is the second stage in Tuckman's four-stage map of group evolution?

storming

Which of the following statements characterize a group at the storming stage?

the group members are argumentative.

Which of stage in Tuckman's group development model is characterized by the establishment of ground rules and operating procedures and goals by group participants?

norming

The ideal composition of a team should be determined based on

the nature of the team's goals.

How does a group differ from a team?

A group is often a collection of people working independently on their own goals; a team is assembled to accomplish complex goals.

Which group would be the most effective from a performance standpoint?

A group with high group cohesion and high task commitment.

How does a team differ from a group?

A team is focused on joint goals; a group often has a collection of individual goals.

Which of the following is true regarding Pret a Manger's unique hiring practices?

Applicants who pass an initial selection step are brought in for a day to work side-by-side with current employees.

Which of the following questions might be asked during the norming stage of Tuckman's five-stage group evolution model?

Are we using appropriate means to address differences so that conflicts can be avoided?

What group-related phenomenon would the critic on a team help to guard against?

Groupthink

Marina is encouraging her sorority sisters to function as a cohesive group. She lists all of the following as benefits EXCEPT

If you are part of the sorority, you do not have to attend meetings and events often because you can depend on your sisters to cover for you.

Which of the following is an example of a temporary team?

Task force

Which of the following statements related to fundamental factors affecting a group's cohesion is correct?

The more similar group members are, the more cohesive the group is likely to be.

A group is defined as

a collection of individuals who interact with each other such that one person's actions have an impact on the others.

What was the final stage that Tuckman added to his enhanced group development model?

adjourning

Process loss refers to

any aspect of group interaction that inhibits group functioning.

Which of the following is a social role?

calibrator.

Self-managed teams

can be found at all levels in an organization.

One barrier to effective teams is

challenges of knowing how to work together.

Boundary spanning roles include coordinator and

consul.

Social loafing

develops when a perception of inequity in regard to rewards and/or blame arises in a group.

Symptoms of too much cohesion include

failures are blamed on external factors.

Arielle is part of a team charged with developing a new name for a product. This is a(n) ________________ task.

idea generation

The calibrator role

keeps the team on track by suggesting any needed changes to the team's process.

A self-directed team

makes all decisions internally about leadership and how the work is done and has the potential for high autonomy.

An organizational behavior class has students working in teams. The teams have a final paper due. Maria's group has divided the paper up into sections making each group member responsible for one section. Maria is responsible for integrating all those sections. The group is organizing these tasks by using

pooled interdependence.

Hank is part of a team doing engineering design on a new hybrid automobile. Hank's team has completed designing the vehicle. His team is now ready to hand off to another team who will be dealing with _____________ tasks.

production

Which of the following are tasks performed by teams?

production tasks, idea-generation tasks, problem-solving tasks

According to Gersick's punctuated equilibrium model, groups repeatedly cycle through which two stages?

storming and performing.

Characteristics of cohesive groups include which of the following?

working together on a meaningful task.

To make a team contract meaningful, which of the following sections should be included?

team decision making.

Eduardo is the new manager of Great Corporation. He is sitting at his desk and writing down a list of steps that he can follow to create and maintain a cohesive work group. Which of the following would appear on that list?

Celebrate differences so each individual's contribution is noticed.

Because the ________ role involves gathering information from the larger organization and informing those within the organization about team goals, activities and success, it is often filled by the team manager.

Consul

Maria strongly disliked working in groups in college because she always felt there was someone who did not "pull his weight." However, now that she is a manager, she must organize teams in her firm. Which of the following is a tip to prevent social loafing she has received from other managers in her company?

Define each individual's tasks in front of the group.

Which of the following statements is accurate regarding self-managed teams?

Employees on self-managed teams have higher job satisfaction.

Rodney is a new project team leader. Jerome is chatting with him about some of the problems that could arise and prevent his team from being successful. Jerome offers which of the following pieces of advice to overcome barriers to team success?

Floundering often results from a lack of clear goals; clarify goals from the outset of the project.

Which of the following statements is correct with regard to the forming stage of group development?

Group members are trying to learn about one another.

Which of the following is accurate regarding the nature of social roles in a team?

If social roles are filled in a firm, groups are more cohesive.

Which of the following is considered a key aspect to ensuring a successful meeting?

Manage the group dynamic for full participation.

Which of the following actions would be recommended in order to avoid getting stuck in the storming phase of Tuckman's group development?

Normalize conflict. Conflict is normal and can be cathartic.

Which of the following statements regarding power distance and teams is correct?

People in high power distance countries expect unequal power distribution in the social, political and economic areas.

Which of the following statements regarding ethics and teams is accurate?

Self- managed teams are viewed as a technique to overcome the negative aspects of bureaucracy.

Which of the following is a factor most likely to impact a group's cohesion?

Size

Which of the following statements regarding team size and diversity is correct?

Teams that believe in the value of diversity perform better than those which do not.

Which of the following statements regarding Gersick's punctuated equilibrium model is accurate?

The model views group development as a linear process.

In which of the following situations would a team be needed?

The organization benefits from shared goals.

Which of the following statements regarding Gersick's study of punctuated equilibrium is correct?

The punctuated equilibrium model is cyclical in nature.

All of the following statements are correct about top management teams EXCEPT

Top teams are most effective when there is limited diversity in their composition.

Collective efficacy is influenced by which of the following factors?

Verbal persuasion.

A group is

a collection of individuals who interact with each other such that one person's actions have an impact on the others.

Collective efficacy refers to

a group's perception of its ability to perform well.

Which of the following leadership styles best serves a successful group as it has evolved to the performing stage?

coach

A group where there is a great deal of camaraderie is a group experiencing

cohesion

Which of the following is a key property of a team?

collaborative action

Mike listens carefully to the exchanges between team members during meetings and is particularly adept at using humor to lighten any tense situations that arise between team members because of those exchanges. Mike plays the

communicator role.

Task roles include contractor, creator, and

completer.

The _____________ role in a team creates deadlines for the team, schedules production, and sequences tasks.

contractor

The superintendent of the school district is writing a new mission statement for the district. He is engaged in the _____________ role.

creator

Eduardo always challenges team members' positions on various issues discussed in the weekly meeting. Nannette told Eduardo yesterday, "I always have to be prepared when I present ideas to our team because I know you will question everything and make us see the other side of every issue." Eduardo performs the task role of ____________________ on the team.

critic

To successfully facilitate a group, a leader needs to move through a series of leadership styles over time. Which of the following styles is the FIRST a successful group leader should exhibit?

director

Group members in the norming stage

find it easy to establish their own ground rules.

Which stage of Tuckman's group development model is characterized by general information sharing?

forming

Which of the following is the order Tuckman proposes for group development stages?

forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning

NASA endured the Challenger disaster when group members conformed with top managers' decisions that launching the space shuttle in freezing temperatures was better than missing the launch window. This is an example of what group process?

groupthink

Collectivist societies tend to

have employees who evaluate their group members higher than their counterparts in individualistic societies do.

Empowerment means

having the authority to reach goals.

The norming stage in Tuckman's model of group evolution features

high energy with group members committed to each other and the overall goal.

Michael's group is very cohesive and very committed to the task at hand. What is their likely performance level?

high performance if they value performance

Analyses of companies that utilize teams indicate some impressive results. Team-based organizations tend to show which of the following results?

increased revenue

Research on team size suggests

larger groups are generally required for very complex tasks.

An informal work group refers to

made up of two or more individuals who are associated with one another in ways not prescribed by the formal organization.

Michael is part of an organizational behavior project group. The group decided on the overall theme of its project and individual members are now completing specific sections of the project. Michael has been e-mailing Rachel almost every day asking her opinion on various parts of his section. The group tends to sit together in class and they have even decided to go out for coffee after class next Tuesday. What phase of group development is Michael's group in?

performing

Nathan's group is responsible for a presentation on their Human Resource project. The group is meeting this evening to prepare the presentation. Nathan has never prepared a presentation as part of a group before, and he is hoping that using such ________________ interdependence will not take a great deal of time because of side conversations and general camaraderie among group members.

reciprocal

Problem solving tasks

refer to coming up with plans for actions and making decisions.

Task interdependence

refers to the degree that team members are dependent upon one another to get information, support or materials from other team members to be effective.

Norms refer to

shared expectations about how things operate within a group or team.

The Ringelmann effect is also known as

social loafing

Jennifer has been very emphatic in her comments supporting the new addition to the product line. Christopher has been equally spirited in his opposition to the new item. Gordon and Antonio seem to be leaning to Jennifer's perspective while Marques supports Christopher. The discussion about the product has consumed the last hour of the meeting of the marketing group. At what stage of Tuckman's model does this group seem to be functioning?

storming

Tuckman's forming stage is characterized by

uncertainty, with observant, conflict avoidant group members who are trying to achieve several goals at once.

Tuckman's five stage group evolution model asks which of the following questions in the performing stage?

Are we using appropriate information on this task?

Which of the following represents a unique challenge with regard to the management of virtual teams?

Building trust with virtual team., Not being physically seen by managers., Nature of communication used with virtual team.