Chapter 13 the nature of groups (f1 acca)

Chapter 13 – The Nature of Groups:

Practice Exam Questions and Answers with

Explanations

August 11, 2025

1 Questions

1 A group that is deliberately formed with specific areas to deal with Rather than carrying out specific tasks they tend to be more concerned with decision-making, bringing together people from different departments, discussing matters and coming to a conclusion What does that sentence describe?

A A task force

B A committee

C An informal group

D A self-managed team

2 Which of the following represents the correct time order for Tuckman’s theory of group development?

A Forming, storming, performing, norming and dorming

B Forming, storming, norming, performing and dorming

C Storming, dorming, norming, forming and performing

D Storming, forming, norming, performing and dorming

3 Which of the following is NOT one of Belbin’s personality types?

A Team worker

B Plant

C Resource-investigator

D Stormer

E Shaper

4 Which of teams and committees are formal groups?

A Neither

B Teams only

C Both

D Committees only

5 What is Handy’s definition of a group?

A A team of people with a common aim

B A collection of people formed by management to fulfill given aims

C A group of people with complementary skills and personalities

D Any collection of people who perceive themselves to be a group

6 Tuckman’s theory suggests that groups always follow a linear development process

A True

B False

7 Which of Belbin’s team roles is responsible for generating creative ideas?

A Coordinator

B Plant

C Monitor Evaluator

D Implementer

8 Informal groups within an organization are typically formed by:

A Management directives

B Shared interests or social bonds

C Specific project goals

D Organizational policies

9 According to Tuckman, the ‘storming’ stage involves:

A Establishing group norms

B Conflict and competition

C High productivity

D Group dissolution

10 Belbin’s ‘shaper’ role is characterized by:

A Providing objective analysis

B Driving the team to overcome obstacles

C Building team cohesion

D Exploring external opportunities

11 Formal groups are created to achieve specific organizational objectives

A True

B False

12 Which of the following is a characteristic of Tuckman’s ‘norming’ stage?

A Team members compete for roles

B Team members establish cohesion and norms

C Team members focus on task completion

D Team members are uncertain about goals

13 Belbin’s ‘team worker’ role focuses on:

A Generating innovative ideas

B Promoting team harmony

C Making critical judgments

D Organizing tasks

14 Committees are typically temporary groups formed for specific tasks

A True

B False

15 Tuckman’s ‘performing’ stage is characterized by:

A High conflict and disagreement

B Effective collaboration and productivity

C Establishing group roles

D Uncertainty about group purpose

16 Informal groups can influence employee morale and behavior

A True

B False

17 Belbin’s ‘resource-investigator’ role is responsible for:

A Maintaining team discipline

B Exploring external contacts and opportunities

C Completing tasks efficiently

D Evaluating team decisions

18 Tuckman’s theory includes a stage called ‘adjourning’ or ‘mourning’

A True

B False

19 Formal groups are always permanent structures within an organization

A True

B False

20 Which of Belbin’s roles is most likely to focus on ensuring tasks are com-pleted on time?

A Completer Finisher

B Team Worker

C Shaper

D Plant

21 Tuckman’s ‘forming’ stage involves high productivity and task focus

A True

B False

22 Informal groups are typically recognized in the organizational hierarchy

A True

B False

23 Belbin’s theory suggests that a balanced team requires a mix of roles

A True

24 Tuckman’s ‘norming’ stage precedes the ‘storming’ stage.

A True

B False

25 Committees are often formed to provide recommendations rather than ex-ecute tasks

A True

B False

26 Belbin’s ‘monitor evaluator’ role is focused on:

A Generating creative solutions

B Providing objective analysis

C Building external networks

D Motivating the team

27 Informal groups can emerge spontaneously within an organization

A True

B False

28 Tuckman’s ‘adjourning’ stage involves the group disbanding or reflecting

on its achievements

A True

B False

29 Belbin’s ‘coordinator’ role is responsible for clarifying goals and delegating tasks

A True

B False

30 Which of the following best describes a self-managed team?

A A group formed by management with strict oversight

B A group with autonomy to manage its own tasks and processes

C A group focused solely on decision-making

D A group with no defined roles

2 Answers and Explanations

1 Answer: B (A committee)

Explanation: The sentence describes a committee, which is deliberately

formed to bring together people from different departments for decision-making and discussion, rather than executing specific tasks Task forces are task-oriented, informal groups lack formal structure, and self-managed teams focus on task execution with autonomy

2 Answer: B (Forming, storming, norming, performing and dorming)

Explanation: Tuckman’s theory outlines group development in the order:

forming (initial formation), storming (conflict), norming (cohesion), per-forming (productivity), and adjourning (or mourning, not dorming) The correct sequence is forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourn-ing

3 Answer: D (Stormer)

Explanation: Belbin’s team roles include team worker, plant,

resource-investigator, and shaper, among others Stormer is not a recognized Belbin role; it may be confused with Tuckman’s storming stage

4 Answer: C (Both)

Explanation: Both teams and committees are formal groups, created by

management to achieve specific organizational objectives Teams focus on tasks, while committees focus on decision-making or recommendations

5 Answer: D (Any collection of people who perceive themselves to be a

group)

Explanation: Handy defined a group as any collection of individuals who

perceive themselves as a group, emphasizing shared identity over formal structure or management creation

6 Answer: B (False)

Explanation: Tuckman’s theory does not mandate a strictly linear process;

groups may revisit stages or experience them differently based on dynam-ics

7 Answer: B (Plant)

Explanation: Belbin’s plant role is responsible for generating creative ideas

and innovative solutions, unlike coordinator (delegation), monitor evalua-tor (analysis), or implementer (execution)

8 Answer: B (Shared interests or social bonds)

Explanation: Informal groups form naturally based on shared interests,

social bonds, or personal connections, not management directives or spe-cific goals

9 Answer: B (Conflict and competition)

Explanation: Tuckman’s storming stage involves conflict, competition, and

challenges as group members establish roles and relationships

10 Answer: B (Driving the team to overcome obstacles)

Explanation: Belbin’s shaper is dynamic and pushes the team to overcome

challenges, unlike team worker (cohesion) or resource-investigator (exter-nal opportunities)

11 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Formal groups, like teams and committees, are created by

organizations to achieve specific objectives, unlike informal groups

12 Answer: B (Team members establish cohesion and norms)

Explanation: Tuckman’s norming stage involves developing group

cohe-sion, norms, and mutual trust, following the conflict of the storming stage

13 Answer: B (Promoting team harmony)

Explanation: Belbin’s team worker role focuses on fostering cooperation

and harmony within the group, not generating ideas or organizing tasks

14 Answer: B (False)

Explanation: Committees are often permanent or semi-permanent for

on-going decision-making, unlike task forces, which are typically temporary

15 Answer: B (Effective collaboration and productivity)

Explanation: Tuckman’s performing stage is marked by high productivity

and effective collaboration as the group works toward its goals

16 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Informal groups, such as social cliques, can significantly

in-fluence employee morale and workplace behavior

17 Answer: B (Exploring external contacts and opportunities)

Explanation: Belbin’s resource-investigator role focuses on networking

and bringing external ideas or opportunities to the team

18 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Tuckman’s theory includes an adjourning (or mourning) stage,

where groups disband or reflect on their achievements

19 Answer: B (False)

Explanation: Formal groups can be temporary (e.g., project teams) or

per-manent (e.g., departments), depending on their purpose

20 Answer: A (Completer Finisher)

Explanation: Belbin’s completer finisher role ensures tasks are completed

thoroughly and on time, focusing on deadlines and quality

21 Answer: B (False)

Explanation: Tuckman’s forming stage involves uncertainty and

orienta-tion, not high productivity, which occurs in the performing stage

22 Answer: B (False)

Explanation: Informal groups are not formally recognized in the

organi-zational hierarchy; they form spontaneously

23 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Belbin’s theory emphasizes that effective teams require a

balance of complementary roles to cover all necessary functions.

24 Answer: B (False)

Explanation: Tuckman’s norming stage follows storming, as groups move

from conflict to establishing norms and cohesion

25 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Committees are often formed to discuss issues and provide

recommendations, rather than directly executing tasks

26 Answer: B (Providing objective analysis)

Explanation: Belbin’s monitor evaluator role focuses on critically

analyz-ing ideas and decisions objectively

27 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Informal groups emerge spontaneously based on shared

in-terests or relationships, without formal structure

28 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Tuckman’s adjourning stage involves the group disbanding

or reflecting on its accomplishments after completing its purpose

29 Answer: A (True)

Explanation: Belbin’s coordinator role clarifies goals, delegates tasks, and

ensures effective team collaboration

30 Answer: B (A group with autonomy to manage its own tasks and

pro-cesses)

Explanation: Self-managed teams have autonomy to manage their tasks

and processes, unlike groups with strict oversight or undefined roles