Testbank of fundamental of management 7e by robin ch 09

D around groups rather than teams Answer: B Explanation: B The trend in today's dynamic global business environment is to focus work around teams rather than hierarchies of individuals,

Fundamentals of Management, 7e (Robbins/DeCenzo/Coulter)

Chapter 9 Understanding Groups and Managing Work Teams

1) A group consists of individuals who share specific goals

Explanation: The five typical stages of development are forming, storming, norming,

performing, and adjourning

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7) In the norming stage of group development, the group becomes cohesive.

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Objective: 9.2

12) As a group expands, individual productivity tends to decline

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: Social loafing typically causes individual productivity to drop as individuals enter

a group Within a group, individuals tend to hide behind the collective effort and get less done

13) High cohesiveness always results in a productivity increase.

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: In a situation in which group goals are aligned with organizational goals,

productivity rises when groups are cohesive However, when group goals conflict with

organization goals, productivity actually drops in cohesive groups

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Objective: 9.2

14) More than 80 percent of all Fortune 500 companies use teams.

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: Within those companies, 50 percent or more of employees are members of teams

That means that fewer than 20 percent of Fortune 500 companies have fewer than 50 percent of

employees working as members of teams

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Objective: 9.3

19) A problem-solving team is likely not to have a supervising manager to oversee it.

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Objective: 9.3

23) Conscientiousness seems to be a key ingredient in successful teams

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: When team members care about results, team performance typically rises

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26) Diversity tends to have a positive effect on team performance.

Answer: TRUE

Explanation: Though initially performance seems to suffer when teams are formed with highly diverse individuals, as time passes studies show that diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams

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Objective: 9.3

32) There is no way to reduce social loafing within a team.

Answer: FALSE

Explanation: Social loafing probably cannot be eliminated, but it can be reduced by monitoring team performance carefully and holding team members accountableindividually as well as collectivelyfor their output

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knowledge, and attitudes are highly likely to be successful

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36) Asch's findings suggest that Chinese members of a global team might be expected to

conform easily to the team's norms

37) A Latin American team member would be more likely than a North American team member

to afford status to an individual who comes from a powerful family

Answer: TRUE

38) A Japanese manager with the biggest office is likely to have the most power within an organization.

Explanation: Social loafing is less common in collectivist societies than individualistic societies,

so this statement is false

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Objective: 9.4

42) Many managers in today's business world have restructured work

A) around individuals rather than teams

B) around teams rather than individuals

C) around both individuals and teams

D) around groups rather than teams

Answer: B

Explanation: B) The trend in today's dynamic global business environment is to focus work around teams rather than hierarchies of individuals, making that the correct response This shift

to teams has also served to make organizations more decentralized, since teams are often

decision-making entities, and more organic as teams take some authority away from the top managers Note that teams rather than groups are the trend, reflecting that teams are more task-oriented

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Objective: 9.1

43) Of the following, which is NOT thought to be an advantage of teams within an organization?A) increased organizational coherence

B) employee job satisfaction

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Objective: 9.1

44) Formal groups

A) meet at a regular time and place

B) are defined by an organization's structure

C) include people who share a common interest

D) include people who eat lunch together each day

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Formal groups are groups that are officially defined and recognized by the organizational hierarchy, making that the correct response The meeting time of a group does not determine whether the group is formal or not, making that an incorrect choice People who meet for lunch or share a common interest are forming informal, not formal groups

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is typically a formal work group, but task groups are not defined by whether they are formal or informal, eliminating formal and informal groups as correct responses

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Objective: 9.1

46) This kind of work group brings individuals together from different work disciplines with different knowledge and skills.

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Explanation: B) The storming, or second stage of the group development process, is

characterized by a struggle for control of the group and a search by members for their roles within the group When storming is complete, a fairly orderly hierarchy will be evident within the group These factors make storming the correct response and rule out all other responses.Diff: 2 Page Ref: 243

Objective: 9.1

49) Norming is a stage of group development that occurs when .

A) the group struggles for leadership

B) the group defines its purpose

C) the group develops cohesiveness

D) the group defines its goals

Answer: C

Explanation: C) The group defines its purpose and goals during the forming, not the norming stage, so the choices regarding purpose and goals are both incorrect Group members vie for leadership during the storming, not the norming stage, making the choice regarding leadership incorrect Norming is characterized by a strong sense of group cohesiveness, group identity, and camaraderie, making the choice regarding cohesiveness the correct response

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eliminating all other responses

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Objective: 9.1

52) During a recent meeting, a shouting match arose between a design manager and a marketing representative about a marketing plan for a new product This team seems to be at the stage of group development.

responses

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.1

53) High levels of conflict

A) are necessary for group cohesiveness

B) increase group cohesiveness

C) can contribute to group effectiveness

D) are never a factor in group effectiveness

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Conflict is clearly a divisive factor and does increase group cohesiveness or make group cohesiveness possible, eliminating those two choices During the storming stage, high levels of conflict can definitely contribute to group effectiveness, making that the best answer for this question and eliminating the choice indicating conflict is never a factor since

conflict can clearly have influence on effectiveness.

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.1

54) A group that has gone through the norming stage of the group development process

A) never returns to the storming stage

B) always returns to the storming stage

C) never returns to the forming stage

D) may return to the forming or storming stage

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.1

55) Individuals within a group .

A) never play more than one role

B) frequently play more than one role

C) always play more than one role

D) never play the same role for long

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Within a group, individuals are not limited to playing a single role only or always playing multiple roles, eliminating those two choices as correct responses Depending on the group, an individual may be a single role or multiple roles, making "frequently playing more than one role" the correct answer Switching roles is not a common aspect of groups, so "never playing the same role for long" is an incorrect response

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of someone else he is dealing with, eliminating role reversal as a correct choice The conflict Al

is experiencing is role conflict, making it the correct choice and eliminating efficiency conflict because the conflict has nothing to do with efficiency

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response

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AACSB: Communication

Objective: 9.2

58) Group norms are typically established .

A) by organizational leadership

B) formally by group leaders

C) informally by the entire group

D) in the official organizational bylaws

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Though some group norms can be formally established, such as official

company dress codes, norms are typically not set in any formal way, eliminating all three

incorrect choices because they all refer to formal, official establishment of norms Instead, normsare usually established over time by the entire group in a very organic and informal manner, indicating which kinds of behaviors and efforts are acceptable and expected, and which are not, making "informally by the entire group" the correct response

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Objective: 9.2

59) This is a common and effective method of establishing group norms

A) playing of board games

B) teasing

C) published lists of norms

D) group norm websites

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Since every group is different, generic websites or lists of norms are never used

in the establishment of group norms Board games would have little relevance to work situations,

so that is also not a common way to establish norms Surprisingly, teasing can help establish norms, as it can be a powerful way to inform newcomers about the values and mores of the group, making it the correct response

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conformity as the correct response

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Objective: 9.2

61) Asch found that in some conditions, group members would provide information that they knew to be .

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Objective: 9.2

63) Asch's results are attributed to the tendency of people in groups to

A) try to distinguish themselves

B) go along with the pack

C) stand up for what they know is right

D) "swim against the current"

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Asch's results clearly indicate that people in groups have a strong tendency to want to conform, or go along with the pack, even when they know the pack is misguided This makes going along with the pack the correct response Distinguishing oneself, standing up for what is correct, or swimming against the current are all examples of refusing to conform—exactly what did not occur in Asch's studies—so those three choices are all incorrect responses Diff: 3 Page Ref: 245

AACSB: Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Abilities

Objective: 9.2

64) Asch could feel fairly confident that his results were legitimate because pressured

by the group

A) 35 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were not

B) only 1 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were not

C) only 1 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were

D) 90 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were

Answer: B

Explanation: B) The key to Asch's results was that respondents made errors only 1 percent of thetime when no group pressure was applied This indicates that the test was easy, and that people had no problem getting the correct answer as long as no group pressure was applied This means that 35 percent must be eliminated as the correct response for this question and "only 1 percent giving wrong answers when they were not" is the correct response Both of the remaining

choices are incorrect responses for this question because both are factually incorrect—much more than 1 percent, and much less than 90 percent gave wrong answers in Asch's studies when they did receive group pressure

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Explanation: B) When a status symbol, such as a parking space, is "incorrectly" conferred upon

an employee with respect to the organizational hierarchy, employees tend to be confused and even upset This disruption in a status pattern is called status incongruence, making that the correct response and ruling out status congruence as the correct response A status category and level identify degrees or levels of status, not a disruption in a status hierarchy, so neither is a correct response for this question

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AACSB: Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Abilities

Objective: 9.2

67) Status incongruence can be upsetting to employees because it sends a signal that

organizational accomplishments

A) are rewarded fairly and justly

B) are always rewarded

C) are never rewarded

D) are not always rewarded fairly and justly

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AACSB: Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Abilities

Objective: 9.2

68) Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to

A) problem solving

B) getting diverse input into a problem

C) speed of performing tasks

D) finding facts

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Large groups are better than small groups when it comes to amassing data or facts, general problem solving, or providing diverse input into a problem What small groups tend to excel at is speed at solving problems, even if the solution provided by a small group is often not as comprehensive as one from a larger group

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Objective: 9.2

70) Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to .

A) amassing meaningful data

71) As the size of a group increases, the output of

A) each group member tends to increase

B) each group member tends to decrease

C) the group decreases

D) the group stays the same

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Because the size of a group can make individual group members feel

anonymous, the more the group increases in size, the less each group member tends to do with respect to productivity This makes each member tending to decrease the correct response Output of the group itself usually increases as groups get larger, even when individual

productivity goes down, so the group decreasing and staying the same are both incorrect

responses because they do not reflect this increase in group output

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Objective: 9.2

72) The primary reason for why social loafing occurs is that output contributions from easily be measured

A) the entire group can

B) the entire group cannot

entire group incorrect answers for this question Output from individuals within a group are hard

to measure, making it easy for individuals to get a "free ride," making the choice indicating that output contributions from individuals cannot easily be measured the correct response

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AACSB: Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Abilities

Objective: 9.2

73) The only effective way to guard against social loafing is for managers to make special efforts

to do this

A) be fair to all group members

B) treat all group members equally

C) assess individual contributions of group members

D) assess the group as a whole exclusively

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Social loafing is not a question of fair treatment for all group members Groups can be treated with absolute fairness and still end up with a significant amount of social loafing Assessing the group as a whole is the opposite of what might combat social loafing, as a group assessment allows loafers greater, not less, opportunity to hide behind collective group

accomplishments, making "assessing the group as a whole exclusively" an incorrect response The only real way to fight social loafing is to make group members responsible for both the group's performance and their own individual performance, making "assessing individual

contributions of group members" the correct response

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AACSB: Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Abilities

Objective: 9.2

74) Group cohesiveness is largely a measure of how

A) clear the group's goals are

B) much individuals share the group's goals

C) attainable the group's goals are

D) much the group's goals match organizational goals

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Cohesiveness is a measure of how much attraction there is between group members and the extent to which they share the group's goals, making the choice regarding individuals sharing the group's goals the correct response How clear, attainable, or well-matchedthe group's goals are to the organization have little to do with group cohesion, since none of thesefactors has much influence over how strongly group members identify with the group and with each other

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.2

75) High cohesiveness combined with a strong alignment between group goals and

organizational goals typically results in this

A) strong productivity increase

B) strong productivity decrease

C) small productivity decrease

D) no productivity change

Answer: A

Explanation: A) A group that is cohesive with goals that align with organizational goals will tend

to be highly productive, making "strong productivity increase" the correct response The

cohesiveness allows the group to work well together and produce an effective, coordinated, collective effort When this strong effort also aligns with organizational goals, the two work synergistically producing strong efforts in the right areas, resulting in dramatic productivity increases

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.2

76) High cohesiveness combined with a very weak alignment between group goals and

organizational goals typically results in this

A) a small productivity increase

However, when group goals do not align with organizational goals, this strong effort ends up being aimed in the wrong direction and promoting the wrong things, thereby detracting from overall organizational goals and ultimately causing a productivity drop

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.2

77) Low cohesiveness combined with a strong alignment between group goals and organizationalgoals typically results in this.

A) a small productivity increase

B) a productivity decrease

C) a moderate productivity increase

D) no productivity change

Answer: C

Explanation: C) A group that is not cohesive with goals that clearly align with overall

organizational goals will tend to show a moderate increase in productivity, making that the correct response The lack of cohesiveness causes the group to register a less than maximally effective effort with respect to its own goals However, if its own goals are very strongly aligned with company goals, it means that whatever the group does manage to accomplish will be highly

"on-target" and therefore likely to result in small but measurable productivity gains

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.2

78) Teams are increasingly popular among successful organizations because they have been found to

A) match the performance of individuals in every kind of task

B) outperform individuals in many tasks

C) match the performance of individuals in many tasks

D) outperform individuals in every kind of task

Answer: B

Explanation: B) Teams are effective and have been found to exceed the performance of

individuals in many, but not all types of organizational tasks This makes "outperforming

individuals in many tasks" the correct response Matching the performance of individuals in every kind of task and in many tasks can be ruled out because teams actually exceed, rather than match, the performance of individuals in many tasks Outperforming individuals in every kind oftask can be ruled out because it refers to every kind of task when it is clear that teams outperformindividuals only in some tasks

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AACSB: Analytic Skills

Objective: 9.3

79) Which statement is true of Fortune 500 companies?

A) Half have 100 percent of their employees on teams

B) 100 percent have half of their employees on teams

C) 80 percent have half of their employees on teams

D) Half have 80 percent of their employees on teams

Answer: C

Explanation: C) About 80 percent of all Fortune 500 companies employ at least half of their

employees as members of teams, making "80 percent having half of their employees on teams"

80) Which of the following is NOT generally thought to be an advantage of teams over

traditional work arrangements?

A) Teams are flexible and responsive

B) Teams are easy to assemble

C) Teams are easy to disband

D) Teams are highly mechanistic

Answer: D

Explanation: D) Being flexible, easy to put together, and easy to dissolve when they have finished their task are all major advantages, not disadvantages of teams, so they are incorrect responses for this question Forming teams is a way of decentralizing an organization, so it becomes much more organic then mechanistic, making teams being highly mechanistic the correct answer for this question because it is a false statement and therefore not a valid advantage

of teams

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Objective: 9.3

81) The main difference between work groups and work teams is that

A) work teams have a common goal

B) work groups have a common goal

C) work teams share information

D) work groups share information

Answer: A

Explanation: A) Both work groups and work teams share information, which rules out work teams and work groups sharing information as correct responses The key difference between thetwo is that work teams have a shared goal that they work together to accomplish, while work groups merely help group members accomplish their own separate goals This makes work teamshaving a common goal the correct response for this question and work groups having a common goal incorrect

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AACSB: Communication

Objective: 9.3

82) The use of work teams creates the potential for an organization to generate

A) greater outputs with greater inputs

B) fewer outputs with fewer inputs

C) greater outputs with fewer inputs

D) fewer outputs with greater inputs

Answer: C

Explanation: C) The potential that causes managers to create work teams is that they increase efficiency—providing greater outputs with fewer inputs, making that the correct response All other choices can be ruled out because they result in a decrease, rather than an increase, in efficiency Note that the efficiency boost is only a potential advantage—when done well, team formation in organizations increases efficiency When done poorly, team formation may not increase efficiency and in fact may cause a decrease in efficiency

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Objective: 9.3

83) Which statement is true?

A) The main goal of work teams is to share information

B) The main goal of work groups is collective performance

C) The main goal of work teams is collective performance

D) The main goal of work groups is synergy

Answer: C

Explanation: C) For goals, work teams and work groups differ Work groups seek to share information only while work teams typically work together on a common task, or collective performance This makes "work teams as collective performance" the correct response for this question because it is the only choice that matches a group correctly with its goal Work groups

do not have collective performance or synergy as any goal, much less a main goal, so both those choices can be ruled out as a correct response The remaining choice is wrong because sharing information is a minor, not a main goal of work teams

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Objective: 9.3

84) Which statement is true of accountability?

A) Work team members are individually accountable only

B) Work team members are both individually and mutually accountable to one another

C) Work group members are mutually accountable to one another

D) Work group members are both individually and mutually accountable to one another

Answer: B

Explanation: B) With respect to accountability, work groups are accountable only in an

individual sense while work teams have both group and individual accountability, making "work team members as both individually and mutually accountable to one another" the correct

response for this question This is the only choice that matches a group correctly with its sense ofaccountability Both choices regarding work group members are incorrect because work group members are accountable only in an individual, not in a mutual sense The remaining choice is incorrect because work team members are accountable not just individually but also to the team Diff: 2 Page Ref: 249

Objective: 9.3

85) Which statement is true of the skills that members of work groups and work teams must have?

A) Work group members need complementary skills

B) Work team members need random skills

C) Work team members need complementary skills

D) Work group members need random skills

Answer: C

Explanation: C) With respect to skills, work groups are not specific and will include members with a wide variety of skills that are fairly random and not necessarily complementary Work teams, on the other hand, try to assemble workers whose skills complement one another and work together to allow the team unit to accomplish its collective goal This makes "work team