Chapter 9
In which of the following stages of group development do group members tend to be uncertain and anxious about such things as their roles, the people in charge, and the group's goals? A) Forming B) Norming C) Performing D) Storming E) Adjourning
A) Forming Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-01 Topic: Fundamentals of Group Behavior Blooms: Remember AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Easy Page: 228 Page: 229 Explanation: During the forming stage, group members tend to be uncertain and anxious about such things as their roles, the people in charge, and the group's goals. Mutual trust is low, and there is a good deal of holding back to see who takes charge and how.
Which of the following is a symptom of groupthink? A) Inherent morality B) Vulnerability C) Overestimation of opponents D) Lack of peer pressure E) Excessive risk evasion
A) Inherent morality Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-06 Topic: Threats and Facilitators of Group and Team Effectiveness Blooms: Understand AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Medium Page: 244 Explanation: One of the main symptoms of groupthink is inherent morality. Some of the other symptoms of groupthink include invulnerability wherein an illusion that breeds excessive optimism and risk taking, stereotyped views of opposition causing the group to underestimate opponents, and peer pressure wherein loyalty of dissenters is questioned.
A group becomes a team when: Answers: one member of the group is selected as the leader. it is no longer held collectively accountable. it develops its own mission. problem solving is outsourced to individuals outside the group. effectiveness is measured by individual outcomes.
it develops its own mission. Response Feedback: Groups become a team when the group develops its own purpose or mission, leadership becomes a shared activity, the group develops its own purpose or mission, problem solving becomes a way of life, not a part-time activity, and effectiveness is measured by the group's collective outcomes and products.
Rejection by other group members is called: Answers: groupthink. ostracism. cohesiveness. cross-functionalism. social loafing.
ostracism. Response Feedback: Nonconformists experience criticism and even ostracism, or rejection by group members. Anyone who has experienced the "silent treatment" from a group of friends knows what a potent social weapon ostracism can be.
Expected behaviors for a given position are called: Answers: attitudes. roles. values. beliefs. norms.
roles. Response Feedback: A role is a set of expected behaviors for a particular position, and a group role is a set of expected behaviors for members of the group as a whole.
The three Cs of a team player include: Answers: committed, clear, and congenial. competent, consistent, and collaborative. collaborative, congenial, and competitive. competent, committed, and collaborative. consistent, committed, and courteous.
competent, committed, and collaborative. Response Feedback: The three Cs of a team player include competent, committed, and collaborative.
Which of the following is considered one of the main reasons for social loafing? A) Increased emphasis on personal accountability B) Equity of effort C) Individualistic reward system D) Increased coordination E) A decline in the number of group members
B) Equity of effort Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-06 Topic: Threats and Facilitators of Group and Team Effectiveness Blooms: Understand AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Medium Page: 245 Page: 246 Explanation: A number of reasons explain the social loafing phenomenon, such as: (1) equity of effort, (2) loss of personal accountability, (3) motivational loss due to the sharing of rewards, and (4) coordination loss as more people perform the task.
According to a review of three meta-analyses covering 70 individual studies, which of the following statements is true regarding self-managed teams? A) They have no effect on productivity. B) They have no significant effect on general attitudes. C) They have a significant effect on absenteeism. D) They have a negative effect on specific attitudes related to self-management. E) They are also known as virtual teams.
B) They have no significant effect on general attitudes. Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-05 Topic: Teams, Trust, and Teamwork Blooms: Understand AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Medium Page: 242 Explanation: A review of three meta-analyses covering 70 individual studies concluded that self-managed teams had a positive effect on productivity and on specific attitudes relating to self-management. But self-managed teams had no significant effect on general attitudes and no significant effect on absenteeism or turnover.
Which of the following task roles is Ben performing when he is involved in testing the group's accomplishments with certain predetermined criteria? A) Orienter B) Recorder C) Evaluator D) Commentator E) Encourager
C) Evaluator Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-02 Topic: Fundamentals of Group Behavior Blooms: Apply AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Medium Page: 232 Refer: Table 9-2 Explanation: An evaluator tests the group's accomplishments with various criteria such as logic and practicality.
Tom, manager at Retro, Inc., told each member of the quality team to come up with at least three ideas for improving quality. He knew that had he not asked each of them to think individually, he would have received a lesser number of ideas. This phenomenon of receiving a lesser number of ideas from a larger group rather than more ideas from each member individually is known as: A) cross-functionalism. B) group cohesiveness. C) groupthink. D) group norm. E) social loafing.
E) social loafing. Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-06 Topic: Threats and Facilitators of Group and Team Effectiveness Blooms: Apply AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Medium Page: 245 Explanation: The tendency for individual effort to decline as group size increases has come to be called social loafing.
During which of the following stages of Tuckman's group development process are group members uncertain and anxious about such things as their roles, the people in charge, and the group goals? Answers: Norming Forming Adjourning Performing Storming
Forming Response Feedback: During the forming stage, group members tend to be uncertain and anxious about such things as their roles, the people in charge, and the group's goals.
_____ refers to a cohesive in-group's unwillingness to realistically view alternatives. Answers: Cross-functionalism Groupthink Social loafing Ostracism Emotional trust
Groupthink Response Feedback: Janis defines groupthink as "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action." He adds, "Groupthink refers to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that results from in-group pressures."
A climate of open communication, strong cooperation, and lots of helping behavior is found during which of the following stages of group behavior? Answers: Norming Forming Adjourning Storming Performing
Performing Response Feedback: Activity during the performing stage of the group development process is focused on solving task problems. There is a climate of open communication, strong cooperation, and lots of helping behavior.
A "we feeling" that binds members of a group together is called: Answers: group cohesiveness. escalation of commitment. groupthink. ostracism. cross-functionalism.
group cohesiveness. Response Feedback: Group cohesiveness, defined as the "we feeling" that binds members of a group together, is the principal by-product of stage 3.
The tendency for individual effort to decline as group size increases refers to: Answers: ostracism. groupthink. rationalization. cross-functionalism. social loafing.
social loafing. Response Feedback: The tendency for individual effort to decline as group size increases has come to be called social loafing.
According to Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith, management consultants at McKinsey & Company, an effective team typically has: A) fewer than 5 members. B) fewer than 10 members. C) more than 15 members. D) between 15 and 20 members. E) between 20 and 25 members.
B) fewer than 10 members. Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-03 Topic: Teams, Trust, and Teamwork Blooms: Remember AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Easy Page: 235 Explanation: When Katzenbach and Smith refer to "a small number of people" in their definition, they mean between 2 and 25 team members. They found effective teams to typically have fewer than 10 members.
The maintenance role of a harmonizer involves: A) suggesting new goals or ideas. B) clarifying pertinent values. C) mediating conflict through reconciliation or humor. D) fostering group solidarity by accepting and praising various points of view. E) performing a "group memory" function by documenting discussion and outcomes.
C) mediating conflict through reconciliation or humor. Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-02 Topic: Fundamentals of Group Behavior Blooms: Remember AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Easy Page: 232 Refer: Table 9-2 Explanation: A harmonizer mediates conflict through reconciliation or humor.
Which of the following is a task role? Answers: Encourager Harmonizer Compromiser Gatekeeper Coordinator
Coordinator Response Feedback: The roles of initiator, information seeker/giver, opinion seeker/giver, elaborator, coordinator, orienter, evaluator, energizer, procedural technician, and recorder are considered task roles. Refer: Table 9-2
According to Bruce W. Tuckman's five-stage theory of group development, which of the following stages involves testing the leader's policies and assumptions? A) Forming B) Norming C) Performing D) Storming E) Adjourning
D) Storming Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-01 Topic: Fundamentals of Group Behavior Blooms: Remember AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Easy Page: 229 Explanation: The second stage of the group development process, storming, is a time of testing. Individuals test the leader's policies and assumptions as they try to determine how they fit into the power structure.
A group of college friends who also flock together in their office campus is an example of a(n): A) formal group. B) task force. C) committee. D) work group. E) informal group.
E) informal group. Feedback: Learning Objective: 09-01 Topic: Fundamentals of Group Behavior Blooms: Apply AACSB: Analytic Level of Difficulty: Medium Page: 227 Explanation: An informal group exists when the members' overriding purpose of getting together is friendship. Formal groups typically wear such labels as work group, team, committee, or task force.
