Chapter 13

Chapter 13
Groups & Teams: Increasing Cooperating, Reducing Conflict
True / False Questions

1. Participating on virtual teams necessarily requires individuals to be available for
electronic communication 24 hours a day.
True
False
2. Managers of virtual workers should arrange for them to meet regularly.

True
False
3. Over 20 years ago, Peter Drucker predicted that the future organization would be
organized around teamwork, but that has yet to occur.
True
False
4. Among the benefits of teamwork is the reduction of destructive internal competition.

True
False
5. While quality is usually improved by using teamwork in an organization, productivity

typically suffers because teamwork is time consuming.
True
False
6. A team is defined as two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective
norms, share collective goals, and have a common identity.
True
False
7. Formal communication is the essence of a team, and what differentiates it from a

group.
True
False
8. Twenty-five new employees from across the Kendall Automotive Technologies

organization are attending an orientation, receiving information about company
policies, and filling out various forms. These employees comprise a team.
True
False
9. A team is a small group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a
common purpose and performance goals.
True
False
13-1
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10. A formal group typically has no officially appointed leader, although a leader may
emerge from members of the group.
True
False
11. In the workplace, informal groups can undercut the plans of formal groups.
True
False
12. Informal groups can be highly productive, even more so than formal groups.
True
False
13. Research finds that the majority of workplace learning occurs in formal groups.
True
False
14. A team created to broaden the information base for managerial decisions is known as
a recommendation team.
True
False
15. A maintenance crew is an example of an action team.

True
False
16. A work team may be self-managed, cross-functional, virtual, or even all of these at the
same time.
True
False
17. A cross-functional team is staffed with specialists pursuing a common objective.

True
False
18. Quality circles are now known as continuous improvement teams.

True
False
19. Problem-solving teams consist of small groups of volunteers or workers and

supervisors who meet intermittently to discuss workplace- and quality-related
problems.
True
False
20. About 25% of Fortune 1000 companies use some form of self-managed work teams.
True
False
21. Creating self-managed teams in the workplace has a very positive effect on job
satisfaction and organizational commitment.
True
False
13-2
22. The process of getting oriented and getting acquainted with the group is known as the
forming stage of team development.
True
False
23. Many groups stall in the performing stage of group development.

True
False
24. In the storming stage of group development, the leader should encourage members
to work through their conflicts about tasks and goals.
True
False
25. Group cohesion arises during the forming stage of group development.
True
False
26. The norming stage of team development is a lengthy and painful one.
True
False
27. During the performing stage, the leader of a team should allow members the
empowerment they need to work on tasks.
True
False
28. A leader should ease the transition of an adjourning group with rituals celebrating "the
end" and "new beginnings."
True
False
29. The tendency of a group or team to stick together is known as cooperation.

True
False
30. Managers can stimulate cohesiveness in teams by encouraging people to have faceto-face exchanges at work.
True
False
31. While individuals prefer to have measurable goals as well as feedback about their
performance, this is not required for teams since goals and feedback can be
generated from within.
True
False
32. Mutual trust and commitment are developed within a team because members are
mutually accountable to a supervisor.
True
False
33. Generally speaking, the optimal team size is considered to be 12 to 15 members.

True
False
13-3
34. Members of smaller teams tend to be more highly committed and satisfied.
True
False
35. Larger teams are more likely than small ones to have formal and autocratic
leadership.
True
False
36. People tend to exert less effort when working in groups than when working alone, a
tendency known as social loafing.
True
False
37. Job modeling is a socially determined set of rules for how an individual should behave
in an organization.
True
False
38. Two types of team roles are task and stability.

True
False
39. An example of a task role is an initiator, someone who suggests new goals or ideas.
True
False
40. A maintenance role consists of behavior that fosters constructive relationships among
team members.
True
False
41. Norms point up the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behavior
among group or team members.
True
False
42. One of the primary reasons norms are enforced is to leverage the group's power with
management.
True
False
43. Groupthink is a cohesive group's blind unwillingness to consider alternatives.

True
False
44. A positive outcome of groupthink is the development of more alternative ideas.

True
False
45. Allowing criticism of ideas helps prevent groupthink.

True
False
13-4
46. Conflict is the dramatic and often violent clash of opposing forces that lacks a simple
resolution that would be satisfactory to all parties.
True
False
47. Certain kinds of conflict can be beneficial for organizations.

True
False
48. Another name for functional conflict is productive conflict.

True
False
49. According to research, negative conflict can have positive effects on performance.
True
False
50. Organizations with too much conflict tend to be plagued by apathy and missed
deadlines.
True
False
51. Performance in the workplace is maximized with a moderate level of conflict.

True
False
52. When resources are scarce, conflict is more likely.

True
False
53. Conflict is naturally avoided when organizations are structured along functional lines.
True
False
54. When job boundaries are ambiguous, employees are less possessive, and conflict is
likely to be minimized.
True
False
55. Avoiding it is never an appropriate response to conflict.

True
False
56. The weakness of accommodating as a method for handling conflict is that it is only a
temporary fix that fails to address the underlying problem.
True
False
57. The conflict-handling style of compromising is appropriate when both parties to a

conflict have equal power.
True
False
13-5
58. Speed of resolution is the primary benefit of using the collaborating conflict-handling
style.
True
False
59. When parties to a conflict have deeply rooted, opposing value systems, the most
appropriate method to handle the conflict is collaboration.
True
False
60. Competition is a form of conflict.

True
False
61. Devil's advocacy is a method used to induce programmed conflict.

True
False
62. The dialectic method is the process of assigning someone to play the role of critic to
voice possible objections to a proposal.
True
False
Multiple Choice Questions

63. Which of the following is the best way to manage virtual teams?
A. Focus on what is accomplished, not hours or locations.
B. When beginning with a virtual team, set the final deadline and reprimand any
virtual team members who don't make the deadline.
C. Because you don't have face-to-face contact, relay instructions via phone.
D. Require each team member to keep their own personal record of the work that's
been done as a team.
E. Utilize employees on a global team around the clock.
64. In managing virtual workers, a manager should
A.
give directions only by phone or in person.
B. make sure the worker is keeping to a fixed schedule of hours.
C. let employees work using their own expectations of how to do their jobs.
D.
meet regularly, face to face.
E.
initiate change quickly.
13-6
65. Which of the following is not a benefit of teamwork in an organization?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Increased speed
Decreased stress
Reduced costs
Improved workplace cohesiveness
Reduced destructive internal competition
66. Two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective norms, share collective
goals, and have a common identity are called a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
cluster.
self-managing work team.
collaborative unit.
quality circle.
group.
67. A _______ is defined as a small group of people with complementary skills who are
committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they
hold themselves accountable.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
cross-functional team
group
team
panel
formal group
68. A group that is created to do something productive for the organization and is headed
by a leader is called a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
dynamic group.
formal group.
normative group.
informal group.
network group.
69. Jane organized several teachers to discuss the school's interior painting scheduled for
summer. They looked at several brands, and heard a presentation by a designer who
then helped them choose a color palette to recommend to school administrators. In
this instance, the teachers make up a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
self-managed team.
virtual team.
cross-functional team.
informal group.
formal group.
13-7
70. Which of the following is true of informal groups?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Informal groups can advance the plans of formal groups.

A temporary committee is an example of an informal group.
Members of an informal group are assigned to it by the skills they possess.
Informal groups have appointed leaders.
Informal groups are primarily created to solve an organizational problem.
71. In all but the worst weather, Laura and four of her coworkers met each day at 12:15 to
walk the wilderness trail behind their office building. This is an example of a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
continuous improvement team.

informal group.
self-managed team.
virtual team.
formal group.
72. A data processing group is an example of a(n)

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
routine team.
action team.
advice team.
production team.
project team.
73. A team composed of people from different departments who are pursuing a common
objective is called a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
quality circle.
problem-solving team.
virtual team.
work force.
74. Luis, Kennedy, and Jennifer met once a week for several months in the fall to redesign
department work spaces, to be implemented when the organization moved to a new
building in January. This is an example of a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
top management team.

virtual team.
13-8
75. A team that consists of members who interact by computer network to collaborate on
projects is called a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
remote team.
e-team.
self-managed team.
informal team.
virtual team.
76. At Bremond Stafford Architects, a group of designers are developing the first drawings
for a proposed multiuse development section of a large city that is being revitalized.
What type of work team is this group?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Project team
Production team
Product team
Action team
Advice team
77. A work team that works to accomplish tasks that require people with specialized
training and a high degree of coordination is called a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
production team.
project team.
development team.
action team.
advice team.
78. Which of the following is most likely to be considered an action team?

A. A group of scientists working on a new cancer drug.
B. All workers on the night shift of a plastics manufacturing facility.
C. An advisory council on teacher development for a school district.
D.
An airline cockpit crew.
E. An information-technology improvement task force.
79. Which of the following is a characteristic of a continuous improvement team?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A built-in part of any effective organizational group.

A type of advice team.
Requires assigned membership.
Emerged from self-managed team concept.
Encourages high empowerment.
13-9
80. Who are typical members of continuous improvement teams?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Workers and supervisors

Supervisors and managers
Managers and agents representing competitors
Managers and outside suppliers
Customers and suppliers
81. Self-managed teams are groups of workers who have been given ______ for their task
domains.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
individual incentives
administrative oversight
reduced responsibility
complete freedom
no technology
82. Administrative oversight given to self-managed teams does not include

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
planning.
scheduling work.
implementing change.
monitoring performance.
staffing.
83. When using a self-managed team, a manager should

A. maintain detailed monitoring of its performance.
B. create the team within whatever structure currently exists.
C.
offer lucrative individual bonuses.
D.
allow members to hire their own coworkers.
E. provide elaborate retreats for team discussions.
84. Which of the following is an important aspect when creating a self-managed team?
A. Lessen the authority and autonomy that is granted.
B. Require participation to be outside of normal working hours.
C.
Use some form of team compensation.
D.
Allow workers to simply do their own thing.
E.
Require voluntary only membership.
13-10
85. Which of the following is not one of the stages of group and team development?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Norming
Storming
Reforming
Adjourning
Performing
86. The question the group is asking during the forming stage of group development is
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
"Why are we here?"

"What's next?"
"Can we do the job properly?"
"Why are we fighting about who does what?"
"Can we agree on roles and work as a team?"
87. During the forming stage, the leader should

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
establish permanent control.

allow people to socialize.
empower team members.
encourage disagreement.
work through team conflicts.
88. The ______ stage of team development is characterized by the emergence of

individual personalities and roles and conflicts within the group.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
norming
forming
adjourning
performing
storming
89. The group development stage in which individuals test the leader's policies and
assumptions as they try to determine how they fit into the power structure is the
______ stage.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
storming
norming
performing
forming
adjourning
13-11
90. Jinhai's team was not making much progress on defining a new production process.
Maria was being very uncooperative; she did not agree with the direction Jinhai was
taking, so she hadn't helped with her part. This team is in what stage of group
development?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Performing
Forming
Adjourning
Storming
Norming
91. During the ______ stage of team development, close relationships develop and unity
and harmony emerge.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
storming
norming
performing
forming
adjourning
92. The question individuals ask during the norming stage of group development is
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
"How do I fit in here?"

"What's next?"
"How can I best perform my role?"
"What do the others expect me to do?"
"What's my role here?"
93. The stage during which a group sets guidelines about issues like attendance and
punctuality is the ______ stage.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
norming
storming
forming
adjourning
performing
94. Groups that make it through storming generally do so because

A.
they develop groupthink.
B. someone wins the political battle and dominates the group.
C. someone besides the leader challenges the group to resolve power struggles.
D.
the work gets done.
E.
the focus generally is on social loafing.
13-12
95. The principal by-product of the norming stage of team development is

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
adjournment.
uncertainty.
group cohesiveness.
conflict.
empowerment.
96. ______ is a "we feeling" that binds group members together.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Maintenance
Groupthink
Norming
Social loafing
Group cohesiveness
97. Since hard feelings about group leadership and assignments had passed, Elena's
group recently seemed to be relating much better. At the meeting tomorrow she
should take advantage of this moment by
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
helping the team identify group goals and values.

encouraging members to voice disagreements.
helping people get to know each other.
empowering the members.
throwing a thank-you party.
98. In the performing stage of group development, members

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
prepare for disbandment.

develop close relationships.
concentrate on solving problems.
test the leader's policies.
hold back to see what will happen.
99. During the performing stage of team development, the group answers the question
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

"Why are we here?"
"Why are we fighting?"
"Who's in charge?"
13-13
100 Jerald led a team that has just finished up a very challenging research project that will
.
assist management in developing long-range plans. Despite the stress of the past few
months, most participants seem sad it's over. Now Jerald should
A.
have an awards ceremony.
B.
emphasize unity.
C. get the group disbanded quickly to free people up for new things.
D. provide opportunities for people to get to know each other better now.
E. ensure those members can work on similar tasks going forward.
101 Which of the following is considered one of the most essential considerations in
.
building a group into an effective team?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Trust
Promoting groupthink
Organizational structure
Market stability
Size
102 Individuals are said to be cooperating when

.
A. they have reciprocal faith in others' intentions and behaviors.
B.
they have a sense of togetherness and unity.
C. their efforts are systematically integrated to achieve a collective objective.
D. their motivation comes from a desire to please a supervisor or the seeking of a
tangible reward.
E. they have ceased to be competitive with one another and prefer harmony.
103 ________ is defined as reciprocal faith in others' intentions and behaviors.
.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Cooperation
Trust
Cohesiveness
Unity
Fairness
104 Trust is based on _______, which can be enhanced by showing professionalism,

.
technical ability, and good business sense.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
cooperation
cohesiveness
unity
honesty
credibility
13-14
105 Which of the following is a way managers can enhance team cohesiveness?
.
A. Isolating the group from the actions of competitors or other threats.
B. Providing team members precise instructions for their tasks.
C.
Creating a relatively large team.
D.
Assigning members randomly to teams.
E. Emphasizing members' common characteristics.
106 Which of the following is an advantage of smaller groups?
.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Fewer distractions
More formalized team leadership
More creativity and innovation
More division of labor
Better interaction and coordination
107 Which of the following is a disadvantage of smaller groups?

.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Unfair work distribution

Autocratic leadership
Lower morale
Tendency to form cliques
Tendency to take unreasonable risk
108 Which of the following is an advantage of larger groups?

.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Higher morale
More effective interaction
Greater boldness
Able to take advantage of division of labor
Less social loafing
109 Which of the following is a disadvantage of larger groups?

.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Less creativity and innovation

Less commitment
Fewer resources
Fewer cliques
13-15
110 Perry was part of a 15-person grounds beautification committee, and among its
.
responsibilities were monthly parking lot cleanup and weekly patio sweeping. He was
a part of the committee at his boss's request but had never actually helped with
anything. This is likely an example of
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
storming.
devil's advocacy.
social loafing.
procrastinating.
adjourning.
111 Members of a team develop their ______ based on the expectations of the team, of the
.
organization, and of themselves.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
roles
norms
groupthink
job descriptions
social fit
112 A ______ role is behavior that concentrates on getting the team's work done.
.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
maintenance
performance
administrative
task
production
113 Marielle points out during the meeting that the group has fallen a half hour behind
.
schedule according to the agenda, and should get back to the important work at
hand. She is performing a ______ role.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
relational
task
maintenance
social
production
114 Someone at a team meeting who says, "Let's hear from those who oppose this plan"
.
is performing a ______ role.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
maintenance
social
coordinator
reorientation
task
13-16
115 Tension was thick in the room as the management team discussed changes to
.
promotion requirements. But then Chris made a joke about Jake's white-knuckled grip
on his pen, and the laughter seemed to improve the mood. Chris was acting in a
______ role.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
relational
task
maintenance
social
production
116 Which of the following is not a reason to enforce norms?

.
A.
To clarify role expectations.
B. To create a written document of behavioral guidelines for new employees.
C.
To help the group survive.
D.
To emphasize the group's important values.
E. To help individuals avoid embarrassing situations.
117 Nordstrom's department store chain emphasizes the great lengths to which it goes in
.
customer service, an example of which of these reasons to enforce norms?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

To create cohesiveness.
To help individuals avoid embarrassing situations.
118 When members of a group are friendly and tight-knit but unable to disagree enough
.
to properly appraise alternatives, they are said to be experiencing
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
paradigm paralysis.
groupthink.
social loafing.
the dialectic method.
devil's advocacy.
119 Dave sat through the meeting feeling convinced his team was misinterpreting recent
.
marketing research, but he didn't say anything. The team leader was a close friend.
Plus, he didn't want to disrupt the team since he perceived himself to be the only one
with reservations. Dave's team appears to be experiencing
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
groupthink.
storming.
social loafing.
norming.
devil's advocacy.
13-17
120 Peer pressure, which leads group members to question the loyalty of other members
.
who express dissent, is a symptom of
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
social loafing.
norming.
devil's advocacy.
groupthink.
storming.
121 To prevent groupthink, a manager should

.
A.
reinforce how capable the group is.
B.
never admit errors to outsiders.
C.
bring in outside experts for fresh perspectives.
D.
encourage everyone to "get with the team."
E. express high confidence in the group's previous decisions.
122 Dysfunction conflict is sometimes called ______ conflict.
.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
negative
irregular
destructive
aggressive
apathetic
123 Which of the following is characteristic of workgroups with too little conflict?
.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Dissatisfaction
Indecision
Political infighting
Lack of teamwork
Turnover
124 Which of the following is a manifestation of excessive conflict in the workplace?

.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Apathy
Lack of creativity
Missed deadlines
Violence
Indecision
13-18
125 Workplace performance is maximized when

.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
conflict is absent.
conflict is at a very low level.
conflict is at a moderate level.
conflict is at a high level.
conflict occurs only at nonmanagerial levels.
126 ________ conflict is defined as interpersonal opposition based on personal dislike,

.
disagreement, or differing styles.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Personality
Competitive
Dysfunctional
Communication
Programmed
127 Hannah is on a team with Carson, and they are often in conflict. Hannah likes to begin
.
her work with careful planning and she gets started immediately. Carson, on the other
hand, likes trying out several ideas, and tends to be working frantically at the last
minute. Their team conflict most likely stems from
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
time pressure.
a personality clash.
communication failure.
ambiguous jurisdictions.
inconsistent goals.
128 Which of the following is a source of conflict in the workplace?

.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Excessive communication
Strict job boundaries
Too many resources
Lack of diversity
Inconsistent goals
129 Ken, whose primary job is supervising a small production group, is not getting
.
cooperation from all members on the cross-functional team he leads. In particular,
Bethany, a marketing manager, seems to resist his direction. The source of conflict in
this cause may be
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
time pressure.
status differences.
13-19
130 Toyota's automobile recall problems may have been rooted in the difference between
.
Japanese and American attitudes about
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
ambiguity.
conflict.
advocacy.
division of labor.
performance.
131 The conflict-handling style in which a person allows the desires of another to prevail is
.
known as
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
forcing.
accommodating.
avoiding.
collaborating.
compromising.
132 When issues causing conflict are trivial, or when emotions are high and cooling off
.
would be helpful, which conflict-handling style is preferable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Collaborating
Forcing
Accommodating
Avoiding
Compromising
133 Rachel missed another deadline and her boss Keri is very upset. She will have to
.
explain to the client again why the project is behind. Keri thinks she may say
something she'll regret if she talks to Rachel about this now, so she decides to wait
awhile. Keri is using the ______ conflict-handling style.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating
13-20
134 Travis proposed the purchase of a new Minolta copier to his boss. Amir said that he
.
has always used and liked Xerox copiers, but when he thinks about it later he realizes
he does not really feel strongly about it. Amir should adopt a(n) ______ conflicthandling style.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating
135 Malia told her team that she is moving forward with a change to the bonus structure,
.
despite vocal objections from several team members. Malia is using the ______
conflict-handling style.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating
136 ______ is the conflict-handling style that strives to devise solutions that benefit both
.
parties.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Avoiding
Collaborating
Compromising
Forcing
Accommodating
137 The disadvantage of the ______ conflict-handling style is that it is very time
.
consuming.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating
138 In which of the following conditions should constructive conflict be stimulated?

.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The group seems to be apathetic.

Managers want to achieve work objectives.
The group is adapting to change.
Managers are in charge of self-managed teams.
There is a lot of internal competition.
13-21
139 ______ is designed to elicit different opinions without inciting people's personal
.
feelings.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Groupthink
Programmed conflict
Social loafing
Storming
Dysfunctional conflict
140 Becca asked Kevin, one of her team members, to purposefully think of and voice
.
criticisms as the group discussed a popular idea to open a branch office in another
state. This is an example of the use of
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
devil's advocacy.
groupthink.
storming.
dysfunctional conflict.
141 ______ is the process of having two people or groups play opposing roles in a debate in
.
order to better understand a proposal.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Storming
Positive conflict
Devil's advocacy
Groupthink
The dialectic method
Essay Questions
142 Why does teamwork matter? What results can it achieve?
.
13-22
143 What are the four types of work teams? Describe what each does and provide an
.
example of each.
144 Define a self-managed team and how its activities may differ from other teams. From
.
what type of team did it evolve?
145 Describe the stages of group development. For each, discuss what questions the
.
individual asks at that stage, and what the leader should do to facilitate it.
146 Name at least four of the major considerations when building a group into an effective
.
team. Briefly, describe what a manager should do in each area.
13-23
147 What is groupthink? Why does it occur? Describe a hypothetical situation in which it
.
seems to be occurring. What should a manager do about it?
148 Describe the relationship between the amount of conflict and performance. With what
.
level of conflict is performance maximized?
149 Explain the conflict-handling styles a manager might adopt. Give an example of each.
.
Under what circumstances is each style appropriate?
13-24
Chapter 13 Groups & Teams: Increasing Cooperating, Reducing

Conflict Answer Key
True / False Questions

1.
Participating on virtual teams necessarily requires individuals to be available for

electronic communication 24 hours a day.
FALSE
Communication is important, but so is consideration. Team members should know
what times are appropriate to call one another (think time zones here) and what
days (considering cultural, family, or work schedules) are off-limits. Make sure
everyone is reachable during normal business hours, as via phone, e-mail, fax, or
chat.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 13-01 How is one collection of workers different from any other?
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Groups Versus Teams
2.
Managers of virtual workers should arrange for them to meet regularly.

TRUE
One suggestion for managing virtual workers is to meet regularly. Human contact
still matters. If possible, launch the team with a face-to-face meeting. When
possible, schedule periodic and regular meetings where all team members can
discuss current projects and telecommuters can catch up on office gossip.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-25
3.
Over 20 years ago, Peter Drucker predicted that the future organization would be
organized around teamwork, but that has yet to occur.
FALSE
Twenty-five years ago, management philosopher Peter Drucker predicted that
future organizations would not only be flatter and information-based but also
organized around teamwork, and that has certainly come to pass.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
4.
Among the benefits of teamwork is the reduction of destructive internal

competition.
TRUE
Teamwork is now the cornerstone of progressive management for many reasons, as
Table 13.1 shows. Benefits of teamwork include the reduction of destructive
internal competition.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
5.
While quality is usually improved by using teamwork in an organization,

productivity typically suffers because teamwork is time consuming.
FALSE
Teamwork is now the cornerstone of progressive management for many reasons, as
Table 13.1 shows. Benefits of teamwork include both improved quality and
increased productivity.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
6.
A team is defined as two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective
FALSE
A group is defined as two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective
AACSB: Analytic
13-26
Blooms: Remember
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
7.
Formal communication is the essence of a team, and what differentiates it from a

group.
FALSE
"The essence of a team is common commitment," say Katzenbach and Smith.
"Without it, groups perform as individuals; with it, they become a powerful unit of
collective performance."
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
8.
Twenty-five new employees from across the Kendall Automotive Technologies

organization are attending an orientation, receiving information about company
policies, and filling out various forms. These employees comprise a team.
FALSE
These employees are a grouptwo or more freely interacting individuals who share
collective norms, share collective goals (attending orientation), and have a
common identity (employees from Kendall).
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
9.
A team is a small group of people with complementary skills who are committed to
a common purpose and performance goals.
TRUE
A team is defined as a small group of people with complementary skills who are
hold themselves mutually accountable.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-27
10.
A formal group typically has no officially appointed leader, although a leader may
emerge from members of the group.
FALSE
An informal group is a group formed by people seeking friendship and has no
officially appointed leader, although a leader may emerge from the membership. A
formal group is headed by a leader.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
11.
In the workplace, informal groups can undercut the plans of formal groups.
TRUE
The formal organization may make efforts to work toward a goal, but these
attempts may be sabotaged through the informal networks of workers who meet
and gossip over lunch pails and after-work beers.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
12.
Informal groups can be highly productive, even more so than formal groups.
TRUE
Informal groups can advance or undercut the plans of formal groups. But
interestingly, informal groups can be highly productive, even more so than formal
groups.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13.
Research finds that the majority of workplace learning occurs in formal groups.
FALSE
A 2-year study by the Center for Workplace Development found that 70% of
workplace learning is informal.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-28
14.
A team created to broaden the information base for managerial decisions is known
as a recommendation team.
FALSE
Advice teams are created to broaden the information base for managerial
decisions. Examples are committees, review panels, advisory councils, employee
involvement groups, and continuous improvement teams.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
15.
A maintenance crew is an example of an action team.

FALSE
A maintenance crew is a production team, responsible for performing day-to-day
operations.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
16.
A work team may be self-managed, cross-functional, virtual, or even all of these at

the same time.
TRUE
The various types of teams are not mutually exclusive. Work teams may also be
self-managed, cross-functional, or virtual. See Table 13.2.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
17.
A cross-functional team is staffed with specialists pursuing a common objective.

TRUE
A cross-functional team is staffed with specialists pursuing a common objective.
Examples are task forces, research groups, planning teams, architect teams,
engineering teams, and development teams.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-29
18.
Quality circles are now known as continuous improvement teams.

TRUE
Self-managed teams have emerged out of what were called quality circles, now
known as continuous improvement teams.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
19.
Problem-solving teams consist of small groups of volunteers or workers and

supervisors who meet intermittently to discuss workplace- and quality-related
problems.
FALSE
Continuous improvement teams consist of small groups of volunteers or workers
and supervisors who meet intermittently to discuss workplace- and quality-related
problems.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
20.
About 25% of Fortune 1000 companies use some form of self-managed work
teams.
FALSE
More than 75% of the top 1,000 U.S. companies currently use some form of selfmanaged work teams.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-30
21.
Creating self-managed teams in the workplace has a very positive effect on job
satisfaction and organizational commitment.
FALSE
Self-managed teams have been found to have a positive effect on productivity and
attitudes of self-responsibility and control, although there is no significant effect on
job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
22.
The process of getting oriented and getting acquainted with the group is known as
the forming stage of team development.
TRUE
The first stage, forming, is the process of getting oriented and getting acquainted.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 13-02 How does a group evolve into a team?
Topic: Stages of Group and Team Development
23.
Many groups stall in the performing stage of group development.

FALSE
Many groups stall in stage 2 (storming) because power politics may erupt into open
rebellion.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
24.
In the storming stage of group development, the leader should encourage

members to work through their conflicts about tasks and goals.
TRUE
In the storming stage, the leader should encourage members to suggest ideas,
voice disagreements, and work through their conflicts about tasks and goals.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-31
25.
Group cohesion arises during the forming stage of group development.

FALSE
Group cohesiveness, a "we feeling" binding group members together, is the
principal by-product of stage 3, norming.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
26.
The norming stage of team development is a lengthy and painful one.

FALSE
The norming stage generally does not last long. Here the leader should emphasize
unity and help identify team goals and values.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
27.
During the performing stage, the leader of a team should allow members the
empowerment they need to work on tasks.
TRUE
In performing, members concentrate on solving problems and completing the
assigned task. The leader should allow members the empowerment they need to
work on tasks.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
28.
A leader should ease the transition of an adjourning group with rituals celebrating
"the end" and "new beginnings."
TRUE
The leader can help ease the transition of an adjourning group by rituals
celebrating "the end" and "new beginnings." Parties, award ceremonies,
graduations, or mock funerals can provide the needed punctuation at the end of a
significant teamwork project.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-32

29.
The tendency of a group or team to stick together is known as cooperation.

FALSE
Individuals are said to be cooperating when their efforts are systematically
integrated to achieve a collective objective. Another important characteristic of
teams is cohesiveness, the tendency of a group or team to stick together. This is
the familiar sense of togetherness or "we-ness" you feel when you're a member of
a team.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 13-03 How can I as a manager build an effective team?
Topic: Building Effective Teams
30.
Managers can stimulate cohesiveness in teams by encouraging people to have

face-to-face exchanges at work.
TRUE
An important characteristic of teams is cohesiveness, the tendency of a group or
team to stick together. Managers can stimulate cohesiveness by encouraging
people to have face-to-face exchanges at work.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
31.
While individuals prefer to have measurable goals as well as feedback about their
performance, this is not required for teams since goals and feedback can be
generated from within.
FALSE
As an individual, you no doubt prefer to have measurable goals and to have
feedback about your performance. The same is true with teams. Teams are
individuals organized for a collective purpose that needs to be defined in terms of
specific, measurable performance goals with continual feedback to tell team
members how well they are doing.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-33
32.
Mutual trust and commitment are developed within a team because members are
mutually accountable to a supervisor.
FALSE
Being mutually accountable to other members of the team rather than to a
supervisor makes members feel mutual trust and commitmenta key part in
motivating members for team effort.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
33.
Generally speaking, the optimal team size is considered to be 12 to 15 members.

FALSE
Whereas in some flat-organization structures groups may consist of 30 or more
employees, teams seem to range in size from 2-16 people, with those of 5-12
generally being the most workable and 5-6 considered optimal.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
34.
Members of smaller teams tend to be more highly committed and satisfied.

TRUE
Small teams from two to nine members have the advantage of better morale. They
are better able to see the worth of their individual contributions and thus are more
highly committed and satisfied.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
35.
Larger teams are more likely than small ones to have formal and autocratic
leadership.
TRUE
Leaders of large teams may be more formal and autocratic, since members in
teams this size are apt to be more tolerant of autocratic leadership.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-34

36.
People tend to exert less effort when working in groups than when working alone, a
tendency known as social loafing.
TRUE
The larger the size of a group, the more likely performance is to drop, owing to the
phenomenon known as social loafing, the tendency of people to exert less effort
when working in groups than when working alone.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
37.
Job modeling is a socially determined set of rules for how an individual should
behave in an organization.
FALSE
Roles are socially determined expectations of how individuals should behave in a
specific position.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
38.
Two types of team roles are task and stability.

FALSE
Two types of team roles are task and maintenance.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
39.
An example of a task role is an initiator, someone who suggests new goals or

ideas.
TRUE
A task role, or task-oriented role, consists of behavior that concentrates on getting
the team's tasks done. An example is initiators, who suggest new goals or ideas.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-35

40.
A maintenance role consists of behavior that fosters constructive relationships

among team members.
TRUE
A maintenance role, or relationship-oriented role, consists of behavior that fosters
constructive relationships among team members.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
41.
Norms point up the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behavior

among group or team members.
TRUE
Norms are general guidelines or rules of behavior that most group or team
members follow. Norms point up the boundaries between acceptable and
unacceptable behavior.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
42.
One of the primary reasons norms are enforced is to leverage the group's power
with management.
FALSE
Norms tend to be enforced by group or team members for four reasons: to help the
group survive, to clarify role expectations, to help individuals avoid embarrassing
situations, and to emphasize the group's important values and identity.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-36
43.
Groupthink is a cohesive group's blind unwillingness to consider alternatives.

TRUE
According to psychologist Irvin Janis, groupthink is a cohesive group's blind
unwillingness to consider alternatives. In this phenomenon, group or team
members are friendly and tight-knit, but they are unable to think "outside the box."
Their "strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise
alternative courses of action," said Janis.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
44.
A positive outcome of groupthink is the development of more alternative ideas.

FALSE
Among the decision-making defects that can arise from groupthink is the reduction
in alternative ideas. The principal casualty of groupthink is a shrinking universe of
ideas. Decisions are made based on few alternatives. Once preferred alternatives
are decided on, they are not reexamined, and, of course, rejected alternatives are
not reexamined.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
45.
Allowing criticism of ideas helps prevent groupthink.

TRUE
Each member of a team or group should be told to be a critical evaluator, able to
actively voice objections and doubts. This may help to prevent groupthink.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-37
46.
Conflict is the dramatic and often violent clash of opposing forces that lacks a
simple resolution that would be satisfactory to all parties.
FALSE
Conflict, an enduring feature of the workplace, is a process in which one party
perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another
party. It includes subtle, nonviolent forms like opposition, criticism, and arguments.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 13-04 Since conflict is a part of life; what should a manager know about it in order to deal
successfully with it?
Topic: Managing Conflict
47.
Certain kinds of conflict can be beneficial for organizations.

TRUE
Although all of us might wish to live lives free of conflict, it is now recognized that
certain kinds of conflict can actually be beneficial. We can distinguish between
negative conflict (bad) and constructive conflict (good).
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
48.
Another name for functional conflict is productive conflict.

FALSE
The good kind of conflict is functional conflict, which benefits the main purposes of
the organization and serves its interests. There are some situations in which this
kind of conflict, also called constructive conflict or cooperative conflict, is
considered advantageous.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-38
49.
According to research, negative conflict can have positive effects on performance.

TRUE
Negative conflict often gets results, surprisingly. One study of 373 randomly chosen
employees found that, although some reacted to abusive bosses by doing little or
nothing, others performed better, in part, it's speculated, to make themselves look
good and others look worse.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
50.
Organizations with too much conflict tend to be plagued by apathy and missed
deadlines.
FALSE
Organizations that experience too little conflict tend to be plagued by apathy, lack
of creativity, indecision, and missed deadlines. Excessive conflict, on the other
hand, can erode organizational performance because of political infighting,
dissatisfaction, lack of teamwork, and turnover.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
51.
Performance in the workplace is maximized with a moderate level of conflict.

TRUE
It seems that a moderate level of conflict can induce creativity and initiative,
thereby raising performance, as shown in Figure 13.2.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-39
52.
When resources are scarce, conflict is more likely.

TRUE
Within organizations there is often a scarcity of needed resources such as funds,
office space, equipment, employees, and money for raises. When resources are
scarce, being a manager becomes more difficult and conflict more likely.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
53.
Conflict is naturally avoided when organizations are structured along functional

lines.
FALSE
It's natural for people in functional organizations to pursue different objectives and
to be rewarded accordingly, but this means that conflict is practically built into the
system.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
54.
When job boundaries are ambiguous, employees are less possessive, and conflict is
likely to be minimized.
FALSE
Ambiguous jurisdictions are problematic. When job boundaries or task
responsibilities are unclear, that can often lead to conflict.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-40
55.
Avoiding it is never an appropriate response to conflict.

FALSE
Avoiding involves ignoring or suppressing a conflict. Avoidance is appropriate for
trivial issues, when emotions are high and a cooling-off period is needed, or when
the cost of confrontation outweighs the benefits of resolving the conflict. It is not
appropriate for difficult or worsening problems.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
56.
The weakness of accommodating as a method for handling conflict is that it is only

a temporary fix that fails to address the underlying problem.
TRUE
Accommodating is allowing the desires of the other party to prevail. The advantage
of accommodating is that it encourages cooperation. The weakness is that once
again it's only a temporary fix that fails to confront the underlying problem.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
57.
The conflict-handling style of compromising is appropriate when both parties to a

conflict have equal power.
TRUE
In compromising, both parties give up something in order to gain something.
Compromise is appropriate when both sides have opposite goals or possess equal
power.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-41
58.
Speed of resolution is the primary benefit of using the collaborating conflicthandling style.
FALSE
The strength of collaborating is its longer-lasting impact because it deals with the
underlying problem, not just its symptoms. Its weakness is that it's very time
consuming. The advantage of forcing is speed: It can get results quickly.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
59.
When parties to a conflict have deeply rooted, opposing value systems, the most
appropriate method to handle the conflict is collaboration.
FALSE
Collaborating strives to devise solutions that benefit both parties. Collaboration is
appropriate for complex issues plagued by misunderstanding. It is inappropriate for
resolving conflicts rooted in opposing value systems.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
60.
Competition is a form of conflict.

TRUE
Competition is a form of conflict, but it is often healthy in spurring people to
produce higher results.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-42
61.
Devil's advocacy is a method used to induce programmed conflict.

TRUE
Programmed conflict is designed to elicit different opinions without inciting people's
personal feelings. The method for getting people to engage in a debate of ideas is
to do disciplined role playing, for which two proven methods are available: devil's
advocacy and the dialectic method.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
62.
The dialectic method is the process of assigning someone to play the role of critic
to voice possible objections to a proposal.
FALSE
Devil's advocacy is the process of assigning someone to play the role of critic to
voice possible objections to a proposal and thereby generate critical thinking and
reality testing.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Multiple Choice Questions

63.
Which of the following is the best way to manage virtual teams?

A. Focus on what is accomplished, not hours or locations.
B. When beginning with a virtual team, set the final deadline and reprimand any
virtual team members who don't make the deadline.
C. Because you don't have face-to-face contact, relay instructions via phone.
D. Require each team member to keep their own personal record of the work that's
been done as a team.
E.
Utilize employees on a global team around the clock.
Of the choices given, the best way to manage virtual teams is to focus on what's
accomplished, not whether an employee is working from her patio or at 10 p.m.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-43
64.
In managing virtual workers, a manager should

A.
give directions only by phone or in person.
B. make sure the worker is keeping to a fixed schedule of hours.
C. let employees work using their own expectations of how to do their jobs.
D.
meet regularly, face to face.
E.
initiate change quickly.
Meeting regularly facilitates the social relationships and informal information flow
between team members.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
65.
Which of the following is not a benefit of teamwork in an organization?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Increased speed
Decreased stress
Reduced costs
Reduced destructive internal competition
Teamwork is responsible for many improvements in the workplace, including

increased productivity, increased speed, reduced costs, improved quality, reduced
destructive internal competition, and improved workplace cohesiveness (see Table
13.1).
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-44
66.
Two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective norms, share
collective goals, and have a common identity are called a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
cluster.
self-managing work team.
collaborative unit.
quality circle.
group.
A group is defined as two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
67.
A _______ is defined as a small group of people with complementary skills who are
hold themselves accountable.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
cross-functional team
group
team
panel
formal group
A team is defined as a small group of people with complementary skills who are
hold themselves mutually accountable.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-45
68.
A group that is created to do something productive for the organization and is

headed by a leader is called a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
dynamic group.
formal group.
normative group.
informal group.
network group.
A formal group is a group established to do something productive for the

organization and is headed by a leader.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
69.
Jane organized several teachers to discuss the school's interior painting scheduled
for summer. They looked at several brands, and heard a presentation by a designer
who then helped them choose a color palette to recommend to school
administrators. In this instance, the teachers make up a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
self-managed team.
virtual team.
informal group.
formal group.
A formal group is a group established to do something productive for the

organization and is headed by a leader.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-46
70.
Which of the following is true of informal groups?

A. Informal groups can advance the plans of formal groups.
B. A temporary committee is an example of an informal group.
C. Members of an informal group are assigned to it by the skills they possess.
D.
Informal groups have appointed leaders.
E. Informal groups are primarily created to solve an organizational problem.
Informal groups can advance or undercut the plans of formal groups. The attempts
an organization may make to change can be supported or sabotaged by an
informal group.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
71.
In all but the worst weather, Laura and four of her coworkers met each day at
12:15 to walk the wilderness trail behind their office building. This is an example of
a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

informal group.
self-managed team.
virtual team.
formal group.
An informal group is a group formed by people seeking friendship and has no

officially appointed leader, although a leader may emerge from the membership.
An informal group may be a collection of friends who hang out with one another,
such as those who take coffee breaks together.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-47
72.
A data processing group is an example of a(n)

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
routine team.
action team.
advice team.
production team.
project team.
Production teams are responsible for performing day-to-day operations. Examples

are mining teams, flight-attendant crews, maintenance crews, assembly teams,
data processing groups, and manufacturing crews.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
73.
A team composed of people from different departments who are pursuing a

common objective is called a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
quality circle.
virtual team.
work force.
On a cross-functional team, members are composed of people from different

departments, such as sales and production, all of whom are pursuing a common
objective.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-48
74.
Luis, Kennedy, and Jennifer met once a week for several months in the fall to
redesign department work spaces, to be implemented when the organization
moved to a new building in January. This is an example of a
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
top management team.

virtual team.
On a problem-solving team, knowledgeable workers meet as a temporary team to

solve a specific problem and then disband.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
75.
A team that consists of members who interact by computer network to collaborate

on projects is called a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
remote team.
e-team.
self-managed team.
informal team.
virtual team.
On a virtual team, members interact by computer network to collaborate on

projects.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-49
76.
At Bremond Stafford Architects, a group of designers are developing the first

drawings for a proposed multiuse development section of a large city that is being
revitalized. What type of work team is this group?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Project team
Production team
Product team
Action team
Advice team
Project teams work to do creative problem solving, often by applying the

specialized knowledge of members. Examples are task forces, research groups, and
architect teams.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
77.
A work team that works to accomplish tasks that require people with specialized
training and a high degree of coordination is called a(n)
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
production team.
project team.
development team.
action team.
advice team.
Action teams work to accomplish tasks that require people with (1) specialized
training and (2) a high degree of coordination, as on a baseball team, with
specialized athletes acting in coordination.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-50
78.
Which of the following is most likely to be considered an action team?

A.
A group of scientists working on a new cancer drug.
B. All workers on the night shift of a plastics manufacturing facility.
C. An advisory council on teacher development for a school district.
D.
An airline cockpit crew.
E.
An information-technology improvement task force.
Action teams work to accomplish tasks that require people with (1) specialized
training and (2) a high degree of coordination, as on a baseball team, with
specialized athletes acting in coordination. Another example is an airline cockpit
crew.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
79.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a continuous improvement team?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
A built-in part of any effective organizational group.

A type of advice team.
Requires assigned membership.
Emerged from self-managed team concept.
Encourages high empowerment.
Continuous improvement teams are a type of advice team that consist of small
groups of volunteers or workers and supervisors who meet intermittently to discuss
workplace- and quality-related problems.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-51
80.
Who are typical members of continuous improvement teams?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Workers and supervisors

Supervisors and managers
Managers and agents representing competitors
Managers and outside suppliers
Customers and suppliers
Continuous improvement teams are a type of advice team that consist of small
groups of volunteers or workers and supervisors who meet intermittently to discuss
workplace- and quality-related problems.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
81.
Self-managed teams are groups of workers who have been given ______ for their
task domains.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
individual incentives
administrative oversight
reduced responsibility
complete freedom
no technology
A self-managed team is defined as a group of workers who are given administrative

oversight for their task domains.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
82.
Administrative oversight given to self-managed teams does not include

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
planning.
scheduling work.
implementing change.
monitoring performance.
staffing.
Administrative oversight involves delegated activities such as planning, scheduling,

monitoring, and staffing.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-52

83.
When using a self-managed team, a manager should

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
maintain detailed monitoring of its performance.

create the team within whatever structure currently exists.
offer lucrative individual bonuses.
allow members to hire their own coworkers.
provide elaborate retreats for team discussions.
Self-managed teams are defined as groups of workers who are given administrative
oversight for their task domains. Administrative oversight involves delegated
activities such as planning, scheduling, monitoring, and staffing.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
84.
Which of the following is an important aspect when creating a self-managed team?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Lessen the authority and autonomy that is granted.

Require participation to be outside of normal working hours.
Use some form of team compensation.
Allow workers to simply do their own thing.
Require voluntary only membership.
A self-managed team is defined as a group of workers who are given administrative

oversight for their task domains. Among suggestions to empower self-managed
teams: team members are cross-trained on jobs within their (and other) teams; do
their own hiring, training, and firing; do their own evaluations of each other; and
are paid (at least in part) as a team.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-53
85.
Which of the following is not one of the stages of group and team development?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Norming
Storming
Reforming
Adjourning
Performing
One theory proposes that groups and teams go through five stages of
development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning (see Figure
13.1).
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
86.
The question the group is asking during the forming stage of group development is
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
"Why are we here?"

"What's next?"
"Why are we fighting about who does what?"
For the group, the question in the forming stage is "Why are we here?"
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
87.
During the forming stage, the leader should

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
establish permanent control.

allow people to socialize.
empower team members.
encourage disagreement.
work through team conflicts.
During the forming stage, leaders should allow time for people to become
acquainted and to socialize.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-54
88.
The ______ stage of team development is characterized by the emergence of

individual personalities and roles and conflicts within the group.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
norming
forming
adjourning
performing
storming
The second stage, storming, is characterized by the emergence of individual

personalities and roles and conflicts within the group.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
89.
The group development stage in which individuals test the leader's policies and
assumptions as they try to determine how they fit into the power structure is the
______ stage.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
storming
norming
performing
forming
adjourning
The storming stage 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.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-55
90.
Jinhai's team was not making much progress on defining a new production process.
Maria was being very uncooperative; she did not agree with the direction Jinhai was
taking, so she hadn't helped with her part. This team is in what stage of group
development?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Performing
Forming
Adjourning
Storming
Norming
The storming stage 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. Subtle
forms of rebellion, like procrastination, occur. Groups can stall here when power
politics erupt into open rebellion.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
91.
During the ______ stage of team development, close relationships develop and unity
and harmony emerge.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
storming
norming
performing
forming
adjourning
In the third stage, norming, conflicts are resolved, close relationships develop, and
unity and harmony emerge.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-56
92.
The question individuals ask during the norming stage of group development is
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
"How do I fit in here?"

"What's next?"
"How can I best perform my role?"
"What do the others expect me to do?"
"What's my role here?"
unity and harmony emerge. For individuals, the main issue is "What do the others
expect me to do?"
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
93.
The stage during which a group sets guidelines about issues like attendance and
punctuality is the ______ stage.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
norming
storming
forming
adjourning
performing
In the norming stage teams set guidelines related to what members will do
together and how they will do it. The teams consider such matters as attendance at
meetings, being late, and missing assignments as well as how members treat one
another.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-57
94.
Groups that make it through storming generally do so because

A.
they develop groupthink.
B. someone wins the political battle and dominates the group.
C. someone besides the leader challenges the group to resolve power struggles.
D.
the work gets done.
E.
the focus generally is on social loafing.
Groups that make it through storming generally do so because a respected
member other than the leader challenges the group to resolve its power struggles
so something can be accomplished.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
95.
The principal by-product of the norming stage of team development is

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
adjournment.
uncertainty.
group cohesiveness.
conflict.
empowerment.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
96.
______ is a "we feeling" that binds group members together.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Maintenance
Groupthink
Norming
Social loafing
Group cohesiveness

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-58
97.
Since hard feelings about group leadership and assignments had passed, Elena's
group recently seemed to be relating much better. At the meeting tomorrow she
should take advantage of this moment by
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
helping the team identify group goals and values.

encouraging members to voice disagreements.
helping people get to know each other.
empowering the members.
throwing a thank-you party.
unity and harmony emerge. In the norming stage the leader should emphasize
unity and help identify team goals and values.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
98.
In the performing stage of group development, members

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
prepare for disbandment.

develop close relationships.
concentrate on solving problems.
test the leader's policies.
hold back to see what will happen.
In performing, members concentrate on solving problems and completing the

assigned task.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-59
99.
During the performing stage of team development, the group answers the
question
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

"Why are we here?"
"Why are we fighting?"
"Who's in charge?"
During the performing stage the group asks "Can we do the job properly?"
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
100. Jerald led a team that has just finished up a very challenging research project that
will assist management in developing long-range plans. Despite the stress of the
past few months, most participants seem sad it's over. Now Jerald should
A.
have an awards ceremony.
B.
emphasize unity.
C. get the group disbanded quickly to free people up for new things.
D. provide opportunities for people to get to know each other better now.
E. ensure those members can work on similar tasks going forward.
In the final stage, adjourning, members prepare for disbandment. Having worked so
hard to get along and get something done, many members feel a compelling sense
of loss. The leader can help ease the transition by rituals celebrating "the end" and
"new beginnings." Parties, award ceremonies, graduations, or mock funerals can
provide the needed punctuation at the end of a significant teamwork project.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-60
101. Which of the following is considered one of the most essential considerations in
building a group into an effective team?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Trust
Promoting groupthink
Organizational structure
Market stability
Size
The most essential considerations in building a group into an effective team are (1)
cooperation, (2) trust, and (3) cohesiveness. These are followed by (4) performance
goals and feedback, (5) motivation through mutual accountability, (6) size, (7)
roles, (8) norms, and (9) awareness of groupthink.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
102. Individuals are said to be cooperating when

A. they have reciprocal faith in others' intentions and behaviors.
B.
they have a sense of togetherness and unity.
C. their efforts are systematically integrated to achieve a collective objective.
D. their motivation comes from a desire to please a supervisor or the seeking of a
tangible reward.
E. they have ceased to be competitive with one another and prefer harmony.
Unlike other animals (such as chimpanzees and monkeys), humans are able to
build bigger and better tools by sharing knowledge and learning from one another,
or in short, by cooperating. Individuals are said to be cooperating when their efforts
are systematically integrated to achieve a collective objective.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-61
103. ________ is defined as reciprocal faith in others' intentions and behaviors.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Cooperation
Trust
Cohesiveness
Unity
Fairness
Trust is defined as reciprocal faith in others' intentions and behaviors. The word
reciprocal emphasizes the give-and-take aspect of trust. That is, we tend to give
what we get: trust begets trust, distrust begets distrust.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
104. Trust is based on _______, which can be enhanced by showing professionalism,

technical ability, and good business sense.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
cooperation
cohesiveness
unity
honesty
credibility
Trust is based on credibility, or how believable you are based on your past acts of
integrity and follow-through on your promises. You can enhance your credibility by
showing professionalism, technical ability, and good business sense.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-62
105. Which of the following is a way managers can enhance team cohesiveness?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Isolating the group from the actions of competitors or other threats.

Providing team members precise instructions for their tasks.
Creating a relatively large team.
Assigning members randomly to teams.
Emphasizing members' common characteristics.
Factors to help achieve cohesiveness: 1. Keep the team small. 2. Encourage

members' interaction and cooperation. 3. Emphasize members' common
characteristics. 4. Strive for a favorable public image to enhance the team's
prestige. 5. Give each member a stake in the team's success, or a "piece of the
action." 6. Point out threats from competitors to enhance team togetherness. 7.
Ensure performance standards are clear, and regularly update members on team
goals. 8. Frequently remind members they need each other to get the job done. 9.
Direct each member's special talents toward the common goals. 10. Recognize
each member's contributions (See Table 13.5.).
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
106. Which of the following is an advantage of smaller groups?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Fewer distractions
More formalized team leadership
More creativity and innovation
Better interaction and coordination
Smaller groups have two advantages: better interaction and better morale.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-63
107. Which of the following is a disadvantage of smaller groups?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Unfair work distribution

Autocratic leadership
Lower morale
Tendency to form cliques
Tendency to take unreasonable risk
Small teams have some disadvantages: fewer resources, possibly less innovation,
and unfair work distribution.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
108. Which of the following is an advantage of larger groups?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Higher morale
More effective interaction
Greater boldness
Able to take advantage of division of labor
Less social loafing
Teams with 10-16 members (large) have different advantages over small teams:
more resources and the ability to take advantage of division of labor.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
109. Which of the following is a disadvantage of larger groups?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Less creativity and innovation

Less commitment
Fewer resources
Fewer cliques
Because people are less able to see the worth of their individual contributions in
large teams, they show less commitment and satisfaction and more turnover and
absenteeism.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-64
110. Perry was part of a 15-person grounds beautification committee, and among its
responsibilities were monthly parking lot cleanup and weekly patio sweeping. He
was a part of the committee at his boss's request but had never actually helped
with anything. This is likely an example of
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
storming.
devil's advocacy.
social loafing.
procrastinating.
adjourning.
The larger the size of the team, the more likely performance is to drop, owing to
the phenomenon known as social loafing, the tendency of people to exert less
effort when working in groups than when working alone.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
111. Members of a team develop their ______ based on the expectations of the team, of
the organization, and of themselves.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
roles
norms
groupthink
job descriptions
social fit
Roles are socially determined expectations of how individuals should behave in a

specific position. Members develop them based on expectations of the team, the
organization, and themselves.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-65
112. A ______ role is behavior that concentrates on getting the team's work done.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
maintenance
performance
administrative
task
production

the team's tasks done.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
113. Marielle points out during the meeting that the group has fallen a half hour behind
schedule according to the agenda, and should get back to the important work at
hand. She is performing a ______ role.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
relational
task
maintenance
social
production

the team's tasks done. Task roles keep the team on track. If you say in a team
meeting, "What is the real issue here? We don't seem to be getting anywhere," you
are performing a task role.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-66
114. Someone at a team meeting who says, "Let's hear from those who oppose this
plan" is performing a ______ role.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
maintenance
social
coordinator
reorientation
task
A maintenance role is behavior that fosters constructive relationships among team

members. Saying, "Let's hear from those who oppose this plan," is playing a
maintenance role.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
115. Tension was thick in the room as the management team discussed changes to
promotion requirements. But then Chris made a joke about Jake's white-knuckled
grip on his pen, and the laughter seemed to improve the mood. Chris was acting in
a ______ role.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
relational
task
maintenance
social
production
A maintenance role is behavior that fosters constructive relationships among team

members. Examples include harmonizers, those who mediate conflict through
reconciliation or humor.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-67
116. Which of the following is not a reason to enforce norms?

A.
B. To create a written document of behavioral guidelines for new employees.
C.
D.
E.
Norms tend to be enforced by group or team members for four reasons: to help the
group survive, to clarify role expectations, to help individuals avoid embarrassing
situations, and to emphasize the group's important values and identity.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
117. Nordstrom's department store chain emphasizes the great lengths to which it goes
in customer service, an example of which of these reasons to enforce norms?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

To create cohesiveness.
Norms are enforced to emphasize the group, team, or organization's central values,
such as Nordstrom's great customer service.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-68
118. When members of a group are friendly and tight-knit but unable to disagree
enough to properly appraise alternatives, they are said to be experiencing
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
paradigm paralysis.
groupthink.
social loafing.
devil's advocacy.
Groupthink is a cohesive group's blind unwillingness to consider alternatives. In this

phenomenon, group or team members are friendly and tight-knit, but they are
unable to think "outside the box."
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
119. Dave sat through the meeting feeling convinced his team was misinterpreting
recent marketing research, but he didn't say anything. The team leader was a close
friend. Plus, he didn't want to disrupt the team since he perceived himself to be the
only one with reservations. Dave's team appears to be experiencing
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
groupthink.
storming.
social loafing.
norming.
devil's advocacy.
Groupthink is a cohesive group's blind unwillingness to consider alternatives. Here,

team members are friendly and tight-knit, but they are unable to think "outside the
box."
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-69
120. Peer pressure, which leads group members to question the loyalty of other
members who express dissent, is a symptom of
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
social loafing.
norming.
devil's advocacy.
groupthink.
storming.
Among the symptoms of groupthink are the illusion of unanimity and peer pressure.
The illusion of unanimity is another way of saying that silence by a member is
interpreted as consent. But if people do disagree, peer pressure leads other
members to question the loyalty of the dissenters.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
121. To prevent groupthink, a manager should

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
reinforce how capable the group is.

never admit errors to outsiders.
bring in outside experts for fresh perspectives.
encourage everyone to "get with the team."
express high confidence in the group's previous decisions.
Preventive measures for groupthink include allowing other perspectives. Outside

experts should be used to introduce fresh perspectives.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-70
122. Dysfunction conflict is sometimes called ______ conflict.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
negative
irregular
destructive
aggressive
apathetic
From the standpoint of the organization, dysfunctional conflict is conflict that

hinders the organization's performance or threatens its interests. As a manager,
you need to do what you can to remove dysfunctional conflict, sometimes called
negative conflict.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
123. Which of the following is characteristic of workgroups with too little conflict?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Dissatisfaction
Indecision
Political infighting
Lack of teamwork
Turnover
Excessive conflict can erode organizational performance because of political

infighting, dissatisfaction, lack of teamwork, and turnover. But work groups,
departments, or organizations that experience too little conflict tend to be plagued
by apathy, lack of creativity, indecision, and missed deadlines.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-71
124. Which of the following is a manifestation of excessive conflict in the workplace?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Apathy
Lack of creativity
Missed deadlines
Violence
Indecision
Workplace aggression and violence are manifestations of excessive conflict.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
125. Workplace performance is maximized when

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
conflict is absent.
conflict is at a very low level.
conflict is at a moderate level.
conflict is at a high level.
conflict occurs only at nonmanagerial levels.
A moderate level of conflict can induce creativity and initiative, thereby raising
performance (see Figure 13.2). Too much or too little conflict has been shown to
reduce performance.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-72
126. ________ conflict is defined as interpersonal opposition based on personal dislike,

disagreement, or differing styles.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Personality
Competitive
Dysfunctional
Communication
Programmed
Personality conflict is defined as interpersonal opposition based on personal dislike,

disagreement, or differing styles. Such conflicts often begin with instances of
workplace incivility which, if not curtailed, can diminish job satisfaction and
organizational loyalty.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
127. Hannah is on a team with Carson, and they are often in conflict. Hannah likes to
begin her work with careful planning and she gets started immediately. Carson, on
the other hand, likes trying out several ideas, and tends to be working frantically at
the last minute. Their team conflict most likely stems from
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
time pressure.
inconsistent goals.
Personality, values, attitudes, and experience can be so disparate that sometimes

the only way to resolve individual differences like personality clashes is to separate
two people. Hannah and Carson have two entirely different attitudes toward
meeting deadlines.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-73
128. Which of the following is a source of conflict in the workplace?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Excessive communication
Strict job boundaries
Too many resources
Lack of diversity
Inconsistent goals
A source of intergroup conflict is inconsistent goals or reward systems, when people

pursue different objectives.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
129. Ken, whose primary job is supervising a small production group, is not getting
cooperation from all members on the cross-functional team he leads. In particular,
Bethany, a marketing manager, seems to resist his direction. The source of conflict
in this cause may be
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
time pressure.
status differences.
A source of intergroup conflict is status differences, when there are inconsistencies

in power and influence. It can happen that people who are lower in status
according to the organizational chart actually have disproportionate power over
those theoretically above them, which can lead to conflicts.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-74
130. Toyota's automobile recall problems may have been rooted in the difference
between Japanese and American attitudes about
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
ambiguity.
conflict.
advocacy.
division of labor.
performance.
Toyota failed to recognize differences in the way that Japanese and Americans
perceive recalls and safety. For the Japanese, conflicts are all about personal honor.
"Japanese consumers are horrified by recalls," says one account, "while Japanese
companies avoid them at all costs. For U.S. consumers, knowing that any flaw will
trigger a recall gives them greater confidence in their cars." By delaying recall,
Toyota made a "typically Japanese judgment" for an American market.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
131. The conflict-handling style in which a person allows the desires of another to
prevail is known as
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
forcing.
accommodating.
avoiding.
collaborating.
compromising.
Accommodating is allowing the desires of the other party to prevail. As one writer
describes it, "An obliging [accommodating] person neglects his or her own concern
to satisfy the concern of the other party."
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-75
132. When issues causing conflict are trivial, or when emotions are high and cooling off
would be helpful, which conflict-handling style is preferable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Collaborating
Forcing
Accommodating
Avoiding
Compromising

the cost of confrontation outweighs the benefits of resolving the conflict.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
133. Rachel missed another deadline and her boss Keri is very upset. She will have to
explain to the client again why the project is behind. Keri thinks she may say
something she'll regret if she talks to Rachel about this now, so she decides to wait
awhile. Keri is using the ______ conflict-handling style.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating

the cost of confrontation outweighs the benefits of resolving the conflict.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-76
134. Travis proposed the purchase of a new Minolta copier to his boss. Amir said that he
has always used and liked Xerox copiers, but when he thinks about it later he
realizes he does not really feel strongly about it. Amir should adopt a(n) ______
conflict-handling style.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating
Accommodating is allowing the desires of the other party to prevail. It is

appropriate to let the other party have her way when the issue is not important to
you and it is not complex.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
135. Malia told her team that she is moving forward with a change to the bonus
structure, despite vocal objections from several team members. Malia is using the
______ conflict-handling style.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating
Forcing or dominating is simply ordering an outcome, when a manager relies on his

or her formal authority and power.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-77
136. ______ is the conflict-handling style that strives to devise solutions that benefit both
parties.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Avoiding
Collaborating
Compromising
Forcing
Accommodating
Collaborating strives to devise solutions that benefit both parties.

AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
137. The disadvantage of the ______ conflict-handling style is that it is very time
consuming.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
avoiding
collaborating
compromising
forcing
accommodating
The strength of collaborating is its longer-lasting impact because it deals with the
underlying problem, not just its symptoms. Its weakness is that it's very time
consuming.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-78
138. In which of the following conditions should constructive conflict be stimulated?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
The group seems to be apathetic.

Managers want to achieve work objectives.
The group is adapting to change.
Managers are in charge of self-managed teams.
There is a lot of internal competition.
Constructive conflict, if carefully monitored, can be very productive under a

number of circumstances, including when your work group seems afflicted with
inertia and apathy resulting in low performance, when there's a lack of new ideas
and resistance to change, and when there seem to be a lot of groupthink in the
work unit.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
139. ______ is designed to elicit different opinions without inciting people's personal
feelings.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Groupthink
Programmed conflict
Social loafing
Storming
Dysfunctional conflict
Programmed conflict is designed to elicit different opinions without inciting people's

personal feelings.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
13-79
140. Becca asked Kevin, one of her team members, to purposefully think of and voice
criticisms as the group discussed a popular idea to open a branch office in another
state. This is an example of the use of
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
devil's advocacy.
groupthink.
storming.
dysfunctional conflict.
Devil's advocacy is the process of assigning someone to play the role of critic to
voice possible objections to a proposal and thereby generate critical thinking and
reality testing.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
141. ______ is the process of having two people or groups play opposing roles in a debate
in order to better understand a proposal.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Storming
Positive conflict
Devil's advocacy
Groupthink
The dialectic method
The dialectic method is the process of having two people or groups play opposing
roles in a debate in order to better understand a proposal.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Essay Questions
13-80
142. Why does teamwork matter? What results can it achieve?
Teamwork matters because it can support the organization's mission and strategy
by enhancing performance in several ways:
Increased productivity
Increased speed
Decreased costs
Improved quality
Reduced destructive conflict and competition
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
143. What are the four types of work teams? Describe what each does and provide an
example of each.
The types of work teams are: advice, production, project, and action.
Advice teams advise managers in decision making. Examples are committees,
review panels, advisory councils, employee involvement groups, and quality circles.
Production teams perform day-to-day operations. Examples are mining teams,
flight-attendant crews, maintenance crews, assembly teams, data processing
groups, and manufacturing crews.
Project teams do creative problem solving. Examples are task forces, research
groups, planning teams, architect teams, engineering teams, and development
teams.
Action teams accomplish tasks that require people with specialized training and a
high degree of coordination. Examples include hospital surgery teams, airline
cockpit crews, mountain-climbing expeditions, police SWAT teams, and labor
contract-negotiating teams.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-81
144. Define a self-managed team and how its activities may differ from other teams.
From what type of team did it evolve?
Self-managed teams are defined as groups of workers who are given administrative
oversight for their task domains. Administrative oversight involves delegated
activities such as planning, scheduling, monitoring, and staffing.
In many places, such as the Texas Instruments electronics factory in Malaysia, the
continuous improvement teams have evolved into a system made up almost
entirely of self-managed teams, with routine activities formerly performed by
supervisors now performed by team members.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
145. Describe the stages of group development. For each, discuss what questions the
individual asks at that stage, and what the leader should do to facilitate it.
Forming: the process of getting oriented and acquainted. People ask, "Why are we
here?" Leaders should help people get to know each other.
Storming: individual personalities and roles emerge, and conflict begins. People
ask, "Why are we fighting over who does what and who's in charge?" Leaders
should encourage people to speak out with ideas and disagreements and to work
through their conflicts.
Norming: conflicts are resolved, close relationships develop, and unity and harmony
emerge. People ask, "Can we agree on roles and work as a team?" Leaders should
emphasize unity and help the team identify goals and values.
Performing: members solve problems and complete the task. People ask, "Can we
do the job properly?" Leaders should empower members.
Adjourning: members prepare for disbandment. People ask, "Can we help members
transition out?" Leaders can help ease the transition with rituals.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
13-82
146. Name at least four of the major considerations when building a group into an
effective team. Briefly, describe what a manager should do in each area.
The most essential considerations in building a group into an effective team are (1)
cooperation, (2) trust, and (3) cohesiveness. These are followed by (4) performance
goals and feedback, (5) motivation through mutual accountability, (6) size, (7)
roles, (8) norms, and (9) awareness of groupthink.
Cooperation: Help employees to share knowledge and learn from one another.
Trust: Through enhancing your credibility by showing professionalism, technical
ability, and good business sense, you can build trust in your team members.
Cohesiveness: Managers can stimulate cohesiveness by encouraging people to
have face-to-face exchanges at work.
Performance goals and feedback: The manager should make sure that teams have
and know their purpose, and it is expressed in measurable goals and feedback.
Motivation through mutual accountability: The manager encourages the team to
accept responsibility through actions such as allowing the team to hire its own
members.
Size: Managers understand the advantages and disadvantages of small and large
teams, and try to build on strengths while alleviating weaknesses.
Roles: The manager should facilitate other team members in determining what
their roles in the group will be.
Norms: Managers can stimulate cohesiveness by allowing people on work teams to
pick their own teammates, allowing off-the-job social events, and urging team
members to recognize and appreciate each other's contributions to the team goal.
Cohesiveness is also achieved by keeping teams small, and making sure
performance standards are clear and accepted.
Groupthink: The manager should allow and encourage criticism and bring other
perspectives into the group.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
147. What is groupthink? Why does it occur? Describe a hypothetical situation in which it
seems to be occurring. What should a manager do about it?
Groupthink is a cohesive group's blind unwillingness to consider alternatives. It

arises when cohesion in a group becomes too high, and it causes reduction in
alternative ideas and limiting of information. Some symptoms include
invulnerability, inherent morality, and stereotyping of opposition; rationalization
and self-censorship; and illusion of unanimity, peer pressure, and mindguards.
Managers should strive to decrease it by allowing criticism and encouraging other
perspectives.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-83

148. Describe the relationship between the amount of conflict and performance. With
what level of conflict is performance maximized?
Work groups, departments, or organizations that experience too little conflict tend
to be plagued by apathy, lack of creativity, indecision, and missed deadlines. The
result is that organizational performance suffers.
Excessive conflict, on the other hand, can erode organizational performance
because of political infighting, dissatisfaction, lack of teamwork, and turnover.
Workplace aggression and violence are manifestations of excessive conflict.
Thus, it seems that a moderate level of conflict can induce creativity and initiative,
thereby raising performance, as shown in the diagram below (see Figure 13.2). As
might be expected, however, the idea as to what constitutes "moderate" will vary
among managers.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
149. Explain the conflict-handling styles a manager might adopt. Give an example of
each. Under what circumstances is each style appropriate?
The five styles are:

1. Avoidingignoring or suppressing a conflict; appropriate when a person needs to
buy time in unfolding and ambiguous situations.
2. Accommodatingallowing the other person's desires to prevail; appropriate
when the issue isn't important and is simple and not getting worse.
3. Forcingordering or otherwise using power to get people to do it your way;
appropriate when quick results are essential.
4. Compromisingsplitting the difference; appropriate when both sides have
opposite goals and/or possess equal power.
5. Collaboratingdevising solutions that benefit both parties; appropriate for
complex issues plagued by misunderstanding.
The student should give an example of each style.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
13-84
13-85

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Groups & Teams: Increasing Cooperating, Reducing Conflict

True / False Questions

2. Managers of virtual workers should arrange for them to meet regularly.

4. Among the benefits of teamwork is the reduction of destructive internal competition.

5. While quality is usually improved by using teamwork in an organization, productivity

7. Formal communication is the essence of a team, and what differentiates it from a

8. Twenty-five new employees from across the Kendall Automotive Technologies

15. A maintenance crew is an example of an action team.

17. A cross-functional team is staffed with specialists pursuing a common objective.

18. Quality circles are now known as continuous improvement teams.

19. Problem-solving teams consist of small groups of volunteers or workers and

23. Many groups stall in the performing stage of group development.

29. The tendency of a group or team to stick together is known as cooperation.

33. Generally speaking, the optimal team size is considered to be 12 to 15 members.

38. Two types of team roles are task and stability.

43. Groupthink is a cohesive group's blind unwillingness to consider alternatives.

44. A positive outcome of groupthink is the development of more alternative ideas.

45. Allowing criticism of ideas helps prevent groupthink.

47. Certain kinds of conflict can be beneficial for organizations.

48. Another name for functional conflict is productive conflict.

51. Performance in the workplace is maximized with a moderate level of conflict.

52. When resources are scarce, conflict is more likely.

55. Avoiding it is never an appropriate response to conflict.

57. The conflict-handling style of compromising is appropriate when both parties to a

60. Competition is a form of conflict.

61. Devil's advocacy is a method used to induce programmed conflict.

Multiple Choice Questions

65. Which of the following is not a benefit of teamwork in an organization?

70. Which of the following is true of informal groups?

Informal groups can advance the plans of formal groups.

continuous improvement team.

72. A data processing group is an example of a(n)

top management team.

78. Which of the following is most likely to be considered an action team?

A built-in part of any effective organizational group.

80. Who are typical members of continuous improvement teams?

Workers and supervisors

82. Administrative oversight given to self-managed teams does not include

83. When using a self-managed team, a manager should

"Why are we here?"

87. During the forming stage, the leader should

establish permanent control.

88. The ______ stage of team development is characterized by the emergence of

"How do I fit in here?"

94. Groups that make it through storming generally do so because

95. The principal by-product of the norming stage of team development is

96. ______ is a "we feeling" that binds group members together.

helping the team identify group goals and values.

98. In the performing stage of group development, members

prepare for disbandment.

"Can we agree on roles and work as a team?"

102 Individuals are said to be cooperating when

104 Trust is based on _______, which can be enhanced by showing professionalism,

107 Which of the following is a disadvantage of smaller groups?

Unfair work distribution

108 Which of the following is an advantage of larger groups?

109 Which of the following is a disadvantage of larger groups?

Less creativity and innovation

116 Which of the following is not a reason to enforce norms?

To clarify role expectations.

121 To prevent groupthink, a manager should

124 Which of the following is a manifestation of excessive conflict in the workplace?

125 Workplace performance is maximized when