Structure and Teams Questions

A group that gets together because of a common interest is a formal group.

False (informal group)

As part of a work group, Bob's main job is to resolve conflicts between other group members. Whenever there is an argument, he tries to figure out a solution that benefits both parties, or he quickly defuses the tension with some jokes. Which of the following roles is Bob performing within his work group?

Harmonizer Bob is performing the role of a harmonizer within his work group. Maintenance roles foster supportive and constructive interpersonal relationships. A harmonizer mediates conflict through reconciliation or humor.

Thomas, a sales associate in the furniture department, reports to Betsey, the furniture department manager. This morning, Betsey asked Thomas to change the price tags on the desk chairs. While working on this task, David, the computer department manager, told Thomas that he wanted him to unload some computers. Thomas is confused about what to do because under the principle of unity of command, ________.

Incorrect

A person in the orienter role will:

Keep the group headed toward its stated goals

The tendency of the parts of an organization to disperse and fragment is known as differentiation.

True

The vertical hierarchy is also known as ________.

the chain of command

A group becomes a team when:

A group becomes a team when the following criteria are met: 1. Leadership becomes a shared activity. 2. Accountability shifts from strictly individual to both individual and collective. 3. The group develops its own purpose or mission. 4. Problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time activity. 5. Effectiveness is measured by the group's collective outcomes and products.

Which of the following is an organizational function of a group?

Coordinate interdepartmental efforts (Table 8.1)

A major advantage/major advantages of decentralization are that managers are:

Encouraged to solve their own problems

When the new nurse was hired at the hospital, HR gave her a handout containing a chart that showed a family-tree-like pattern of boxes and lines, the formal lines of authority and the organization's official positions at the hospital. This handout is known an emergency process and procedures flow chart.

False

The lack of face-to-face contact actually helps virtual teams to establish strong cohesion.

False (Compared to traditional face-to-face teams, it is more difficult to establish team cohesion, work satisfaction, trust, cooperative behavior, and commitment to team goals. Researchers and consultants are consistent about one aspect of virtual teams-there is no substitute for face-to-face contact.)

Key IT Products has decided to retain its computer design, human resources, and marketing departments at its corporate office. But to cut costs and increase speed, it outsources many other functions such as production in Canada, accounting in a neighboring city, warehousing and distribution across town. Many components are manufactured overseas. This is an example of a matrix structure.

False (In the hollow structure, often called the network structure, the organization has a central core of key functions and outsources other functions to vendors who can do them cheaper or faster (see Figure 8.11))

The formal and informal marketing systems of goods, services, and ideas, along with the customer relationships, that an organization sells are known as its organizational structure.

False (Organizational structure is a formal system of task and reporting relationships that coordinate and motivate an organization's members so that they can work together to achieve the organization's goals.)

Formal groups in organizations fulfill organizational functions but not individual functions.

False (Researchers point out that formal groups fulfill two basic functions: organizational and individual (see Table 8.1).)

Teams composed of specialists from different areas are called self-managed teams.

False (cross functional teams)

Companies that have gone through a rough start-up period may decide to change their structures so that they are less mechanistic, to enable greater flexibility.

False (more mechanistic, with clear lines to authority)

An advantage of centralization is that procedures are not uniform and thus easier to control.

False (procedures are uniform)

Which of the following is not a characteristic of high-performing teams?

Focused on group dynamics

Peter is part of a newly formed work group. He has been introduced to all the group members, but he still feels like he cannot trust them. The group has not yet chosen a leader, and Peter feels unsure about his exact role within the group. According to Tuckman's five-stage model of group development, which of the following stages is Peter's group currently in?

Forming

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a group?

Four or more individuals Drawing from the field of sociology, we define a group as (1) two or more freely interacting individuals who (2) share norms and (3) goals and have a (4) common identity.

Tracy has been part of a work group for some weeks now. She has slowly become well-acquainted with the other members and even made some new friends. Although in the beginning there were a few arguments and fights, they were resolved with time and Tracy feels a definite sense of team spirit that gets her excited about work. According to Tuckman's five-stage model of group development, which of the following stages is Tracy's group experiencing?

Norming

As part of a work team in his office, it is Larry's job to make photocopies of relevant materials and hand them out to the team members during meetings. Which of the following task roles is Larry performing in his work team?

Procedural technician

Which of the following is not a group maintenance role?

Procedural technician

Sarah and Bill were recently hired at the local manufacturing plant. Before being hired, they were interviewed by the team members with whom they were going to work. The team contained members from various areas of the manufacturing process. As part of the training process, Sarah and Bill met the other team members a number of times, and learned how to perform several administrative tasks, including scheduling work assignments for the team. Sarah and Bill's new team is an example of a ________.

Self-managed team

A group member who says ________ is performing a task role.

Task roles enable the work group to define, clarify, and pursue a common purpose. "Let's focus on the main goal here. What are we trying to accomplish?"

The size of a group is limited by:

The potential for mutual interaction and awareness

Recent research shows that in early stages of team development, teams perform better when members have a high:

Tolerance for uncertainty

At Ace Sales, the CEO and HR director are line managers, and the special adviser is an example of a staff position.

True

Beautiful Homes builds new homes with products from numerous companies, such as garages from Home Depot and specially designed kitchens from a company in North Carolina. Beautiful Homes is an example of a modular structure.

True

Becky, the CEO of an electronics retailer, is looking at the corporate structure that groups employees by specialties, such as store sales, HR, and accounting. This is an example of a functional structure.

True

Dave, the HR manager, was meeting with Amy, the new controller. He mentioned to her that "If you glance left and right on the line of that chart, you will see horizontal specialization, the different jobs and work specializations." The chart that Dave was showing to Amy is an organization chart.

True

In a true team, leadership must be shared.

True

Norms can apply to the group, team, or organizational level.

True

One characteristic of a group is the potential for mutual interaction.

True

Paulina works as an order-taker at a fast food restaurant. She does not cook food, or even package the final order, but inputs the order and takes payment. Paulina reports directly to the shift manager, and seldom interacts with the general manager. This is an example of a mechanistic organization.

True

Task roles enable a group to define, clarify, and pursue a common purpose.

True

The arrangement of having discrete parts of a task done by different people is known as division of labor.

True

To be a team, a group must be composed of members with complementary skills.

True

Groups share norms and have goals.

True We define a group as (1) two or more freely interacting individuals who (2) share norms and (3) goals and (4) have a common identity.

A formal chain of command, standardization of rules and procedures, and use of cross-functional teams and computer networks so that there is frequent communication and coordination of the parts are the means for achieving ________.

a common goal through integration

A hierarchy of authority is ________.

a control mechanism for making sure the right people do the right things at the right time

Organizations using a matrix structure ________.

contain two command structures, in which some people actually report to two bosses

The structure of Shoe Mart consists of people with similar specialties put together in formal groups, such as the marketing, accounting, and human resource departments. This is an example of a ________.

functional structure

With a hollow structure, the organization ________.

has a central core of key functions and outsources others to vendors who are less expensive or faster

The Safety Committee, a temporary team, was established to make the workplace a safer place. Members of the committee still work in their departments full-time, but meet twice a month for a few hours as a committee. This is an example of a ________.

horizontal design

Voluntary collectives with the purpose of advancing their members' interests are known as ________.

mutual-benefit organizations

There are two kinds of spans of control are ________.

narrow and wide

Organizational design is concerned with an organization developing ________.

optimal structures of accountability and responsibility to execute its strategies

A company with authority centralized in a single person, a flat hierarchy, few rules, and low work specialization is a characteristic of an organization with a ________.

simple structure

Communication trust is:

trust of disclosure