In today's workplace, teams are a vital force, and the majority of business professionals must collaborate on the job. The trend toward teams indicates that many companies consider teamwork fundamental to their success.
Organizations form teams because teams_______________________________
promote cliques
usually reduce individual risk
always use fewer resources
usually reduce individual risk
Explanation:
Team
members are more likely to act on bold, creative ideas when responsibility for the outcome is shared by the group, thus reducing individual risk.
Just Pups Dog Grooming, located in Seattle, is expanding and will be opening its second location in Denver. The Seattle managers will have to work closely with the new managers in Denver during and after the shop opening. Since it is impractical to fly back and forth between Denver and Seattle each time the managers need to meet, they will be working virtually as a team. Some members of the company are concerned that this virtual team won't be able to function as well as a team in one location.
What should the Just Pups management do to establish a strong virtual team?
Limit geographic expansion in the future.
Meet face-to-face initially to establish procedures and bond.
Hire only family and friends.
Meet face-to-face initially to establish procedures and bond.
Explanation:
The company should put time and energy into establishing procedures at the beginning of the expansion. The managers of both locations should meet face-to-face to establish these procedures and to bond. This will allow the virtual communication between locations to be more effective.
You work for an aircraft company. The company builds ultralight and experimental airplanes for flying enthusiasts. As a quality assurance manager, you've been invited to join a team that studies Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] safety regulations and applies them to the experimental airplanes your company sells. At the team's first meeting, you were asked to prepare a summary report of FAA safety standards. Now, at your second team meeting, you deliver your report to the group. "I'll answer any questions you have now," you say. A few hands rise. People begin to ask questions.
Which phase of team development does this situation describe?
Norming
Storming
Performing
Forming
Forming
Explanation:
This team is in the forming phase of team development. During this first phase, individuals get to know each other and learn more about the purpose of the team. Team members have yet to bond at this point, so they may be awkward, anxious, or overly polite. Since this is only your second meeting with the team, everyone is
still a little uncomfortable. Normally, individuals in small groups wouldn't raise their hands before beginning to speak.
You have carefully prepared an imports regulation proposal and are presenting it to your team. Janet Zhou interrupts you, describing data that appears to contradict your interpretation of trade law.
To manage this conflict, you can___________________________
listen to Janet
defer to Janet
assert leadership over
Janet
listen to Janet
Explanation:
The only way to be sure you understand the source of the conflict is to listen carefully. Janet might have vital information that could affect some of your conclusions.
Asserting control over your team members or simply deferring to them does not create a good team environment where ideas are exchanged and debated to reach the best solution.
A land development company purchases several acres of land adjacent to a wildlife reserve. It plans to build a new community, complete with shops and schools. Green Sands, a local environmental group, complains that the company's proposed building methods will disrupt the area's ecological balance. The company wants to respect the local ecology but also wants to build its development. The company decides to schedule a meeting with Green Sands's representatives to make choices about the property that are agreeable to both sides.
Q:
Which strategy would be most effective in this situation?
A minority decision
A majority decision
A consensus
A consensus
Explanation:
In a consensus, the group discusses the situation and available options until they arrive at a mutually agreeable solution. This is often the most effective decision-making strategy.
For the land development company, this is the best choice since Green Sands' support for the development would create goodwill with the community, as well as prospective buyers.
After lengthy discussions of design specifications for a concept car you are building, your team has come to a mutual understanding of the core problems you face. Eleanor Smith has ideas to solve the electrical problems, but you're concerned the solution will affect your plan to lower the car's gas consumption.
To manage this conflict, you can______________________________________________
invent new problem-solving options
choose the path of least resistance
rely on seniority
invent new problem-solving options
Explanation:
Brainstorm ideas and invent new problem-solving solutions that will lead to a mutually beneficial result.
Relying on seniority or taking the path of least resistance to maintain team harmony will not be beneficial to the team in the long run and is not
good for decision making.
The department heads of a plastics company sit down to discuss next year's budget. Fabrication says that two of their extruders are outdated and need to be replaced. Accounting explains that without at least two more staffers, they can't keep up with the books. Shipping wants additional funding to cover the rising cost of gasoline. Sales believes they could obtain more clients with a larger travel fund. Everyone wants a larger budget this year.
Which strategy would be most effective in this situation?
A consensus
Averaging
A minority decision
Averaging
Explanation:
In some cases, groups can come to a decision using averaging by negotiating with one another to gain acceptance for individual plans. This approach requires compromise.
The company's department heads will have to argue convincingly to get their budgets, and they'll have to be willing to compromise for the greater good.
Organizations form teams because teams usually____________________
are more organized
exhibit less resistance to change
are more active
Team members are less hostile and less resistant to change if they are part of the decision-making process.
Depending on the team's work and communication processes, teams may or may not be more organized and
active.
To be effective, teams must have good team processes in place.
A U.S. design firm is collaborating with two other international design firms to update the office decor for a multinational company. Members from all three firms are working together virtually from various locations around the globe. The team uses teleconferencing and e-mail to collaborate. Recently, however, the team encountered a costly situation where a custom fabric design order was placed by a team member in Hong Kong and then again the next day by a team member in San Diego.
What should the team do to avoid similar mistakes in the future?
Keep better track of information by using a shared database.
Use a different fabric company that won't duplicate orders.
Replace the team member who placed the duplicate order.
Keep better track of information by using a shared database.
Explanation:
The
team should keep better track of information. Using a wiki to document team information and task completion will help team members who work in different time zones keep track of what tasks have already been completed.
Replacing the team member or switching fabric companies would not address the real issue in this case, which was lack of communication between team members.
You're on a product development team for Kard Foods. Your team's mission is to develop new products targeted at the Hispanic/Latino market. You're in your fourth meeting with the team, and you're beginning to wonder whether you'll ever manage to settle on a product. Two of your teammates are proposing an enchilada kit. Another team member thinks Kard should get into the dessert market and suggests churros. You believe that a Mexican-style sauce, mole perhaps, would be a more versatile option. You and your teammates are going around and around in circles while the leader attempts to refocus the team on its purpose and review the group's ground rules for discussion.
Which phase of team development does this situation describe?
Norming
Storming
Performing
Forming
Storming
Explanation:
Conflicts between team members sometimes arise during the second phase of team development, called storming. In this situation, the team leader is wise to regain control of the group by reviewing the
rules for how the team will interact and then focusing them on their common purpose.
Every time you offer an opinion on the job candidates the hiring committee has interviewed, Sharon Macintosh contradicts you. You listen carefully and consider the candidates from Sharon's point of view, but you still believe your choice is the best. You try to explain your reasoning, but Sharon begins to make rude comments about your candidate.
To manage
this conflict, you can_______________________________________
restate your opinion more forcefully
accept Sharon's opinion without questioning it
focus on the task rather than on Sharon's behavior
focus on the task rather than on Sharon's behavior
Explanation:
Focus on the task itself rather than on Sharon. Doing so allows you to show concern for your relationship with Sharon and for Sharon's position while building goodwill.
Stating your opinion more loudly or simply accepting a team member's opinion does not contribute to a good team environment where ideas are exchanged and debated openly and honestly in order to reach the best solution.
A new opportunity arises for Quixote Metal Supply just before the holidays. A Request for Proposals [RFP] is distributed by the government seeking metal suppliers to fill a vacancy in the supply chain to build x-ray machines for airports across the country. The RFP due date is in two weeks. Half of the decision-making team is out for the holidays. Quixote has less than a week to determine whether or not to take on this potentially lucrative challenge.
Which strategy would be most effective in this situation?
Averaging
A minority decision
A majority decision
A minority decision
Explanation:
If the full group isn't available to make a decision, the process is often
handed off to a subcommittee or minority group. A minority group can act quickly to resolve problems and make decisions.
Since half of Quixote's decision-making team is unavailable, their best option is to rely on an informed minority decision.
Organizations form teams because teams usually_________________________
are more productive
are more honest
are proficient with technology
are more productive
Explanation:
Teams are usually more productive. Team members are closer to the action and able to see more opportunities, thus improving their decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
Hartco Video has just received a contract to develop a new video game for a large gaming company. The company will be working with programmers based in Eastern Europe and hardware manufacturers based in Asia. Monica is in charge of selecting
Hartco employees to work on the project team. She's concerned that the geographical distance from the programmers and hardware manufacturers will make it difficult for the project team as a whole to work effectively.
What is the first thing Monica should do to ensure that the company builds an effective virtual team?
Choose team members carefully.
Invest in high-end video conferencing technology.
Retrain the project manager.
Choose team members carefully.
Explanation:
While proper training and good technology are important to successful virtual collaboration, the first step in building successful virtual teams is choosing the right team members.
You are a communication designer for a design company. Your team is working on a project designing an interior office space for an information technology company in New York City. The project is well under way, and your team has been working together for three months now. Formal leadership is no longer necessary because everyone is taking on leadership functions related to their roles. Your part of the project requires you to identify the communication needs of the client and to incorporate those needs into the design plans. In this case, the client needs wireless Internet access and a local intranet throughout the interior. You've already spoken to the supplier. Now you'll need to talk to the teammate overseeing the building to make sure the contractor can handle the job. The two of you agree to meet with the contractor together. After meeting with the contractor, you report back to the rest of the team and smoothly adjust the project plan to accommodate the new information.
Which phase of team development does this situation describe?
Forming
Performing
Storming
Norming
Norming
Explanation:
The third stage of team development is
norming. During this stage, team members begin to function as a unit, and formal leadership roles become less important. As demonstrated in this situation, information flows between group members as they work toward their mutual goals. The team isn't yet at the performing stage because they are still gathering information and communicating about how they will execute the project.
In early November, department stores begin to prepare for upcoming holiday sales. Retail stores often make 25 percent or more of their yearly revenue during November and December. Sales associates for a nationwide department store are hired for their energy and enthusiasm, but after the long summer months many are unprepared for the intense workload of the holiday sales season. Nancy Cardigan, general manager of store #415, knows she needs to get the staff excited about their jobs, their stock, and their customers before the doors open on their first sales event in late November. Nancy calls a meeting.
What purpose will this meeting serve?
Problem identification
Intensive problem solving
Motivation
Information review and presentation
In this situation, how many people should be invited to attend the meeting?
5 or fewer
All employees
10 or fewer
30 or fewer
Motivation
All the employees
Explanation:
Nancy will need to motivate employees
to guarantee their best performance during this crucial period of retail sales. If her salespeople don't move stock quickly, the department store could earn disappointing returns.
In this case, Nancy should appeal to all employees.
Each member of her sales team needs to know how important he or she is to the success of the store. If all employees feel good about the products and the working situation, they will work harder and generate more sales.
Planning meetings is often difficult. Busy schedules make finding adequate meeting times challenging. Digital calendars allow professionals to use their time more effectively by enabling them to:
Meet virtually
Collaborate and share files
Make appointments, check availability, and keep track of daily activities
Make appointments, check availability, and keep track of daily activities
Teresa was clearly proud of the success of her team's viral marketing campaign. At the shareholders' meeting, she thanked the shareholders for the compliments but failed to mention her teammates. Suddenly, her cell phone began to ring. "Excuse me," she said to the shareholders, "I have to take this call."
What could Teresa do to make the next meeting more effective and productive?
Focus more on her own accomplishments
Give credit to others
Remain quiet
Teresa could also______________________________
put her cell phone on vibrate
multitask more effectively
put her cell phone away
-Give credit to others
- put her cell phone away
Explanation:
It's unlikely that Teresa's teammates are happy about being left out. When you show appreciation for other people's work, they're more likely to do the same in return for you.
A construction supply company is adopting a just-in-time inventory system. Mitch Wallace, the president, has decided that restocking only when items fall below a specific level will save the company thousands of dollars in inventory costs. He knows that his employees will be more comfortable with this change if their supervisors understand it fully. Mitch calls a management meeting.
What purpose will this meeting serve?
Information review and presentation
Problem identification
Motivation
Intensive problem
solving
In this situation, how many people should be invited to attend the meeting?
5 or fewer
10 or fewer
30 or fewer
All employees
Information review and presentation
30 or fewr
Planning meetings is often difficult. Busy schedules make finding adequate meeting times challenging. To make meeting planning easier and more convenient, many professionals use_________________________to schedule meetings and send out meeting reminders.
digital calendars
meeting agendas
meeting minutes
digital calendars
Explanation:
Digital calendars make the task of scheduling meetings quicker and more efficient. Several online calendars allow you to check participant availability, schedule meetings, and send out meeting reminders.
Meeting agendas are used during the meeting. Minutes are sent out after the meeting to archive meeting information.
The staff meeting started at 2:00 PM, but Eileen didn't arrive until 2:30 PM. She listened to a discussion of order-processing problems and began to shuffle through a stack of papers looking for the agenda. Frustrated, she leaned over and whispered to you, "What's going on?" You tried to explain the situation, but by the time you had finished, the meeting was over.
What could Eileen do to make the next meeting more effective and productive?
Text the question to you
Use body language to indicate confusion
Arrive early
: Eileen could also_________________
come prepared
express her views
follow up
Arrive early
come prepared
Explanation:
Eileen would have gotten the benefit of the full meeting if he had arrived early, and people might have noticed her dedication. Eileen would have been more confident, and more likely to participate, if she
had reviewed the meeting materials beforehand.
Last year, Brickerhoff & Dunne LLC, a financial consulting firm in Dallas, remodeled its conference room to accommodate virtual meetings with its partners and clients in Tokyo and London. When meeting participants sit at the conference table, they are able to see their colleagues, who are in remote locations, in real time.
To make the meeting more successful, managers at Brickerhoff & Dunne LLC should: Check all that apply.
Build trust by logging in early and engaging in small talk.
Assume that meeting attendees will be able to recognize the voices of attendees in remote locations.
Remind meeting attendees to silence electronic alerts and alarms.
Decide what language will be used in the meeting.
Build trust by logging in early and engaging in small talk.
Remind meeting attendees to silence electronic alerts and alarms.
Decide what language will be used in the meeting.
Virtual meetings are most successful when premeeting issues are addressed, ground rules are followed, participants collaborate effectively, and the meeting is ended properly.
Which of the following are important when ending a virtual meeting and following up afterward? Check all that apply.
Review meeting decisions.
Confront conflict frankly.
Remind people of action items.
Establish ground rules for communication.
Review meeting decisions.
Remind people of action items.
Mariana is a regional manager for a company that sells consumer paper products. She manages 12 sales representatives in her region. The sales reps all meet face-to-face at the beginning of each quarter, and they meet virtually each Monday. Last month, the company upgraded their Web conferencing system to include videoconferencing through smartphones. Mariana would like to use the smartphone conferencing application for her weekly meetings because her sales reps are often traveling and don't always have an Internet connection for videoconferencing.
What should Mariana do before she switches to using the smartphone videoconferencing tool to hold weekly sales meetings?
Be sure all of her sales reps know how to use the technology.
Call the support hotline for the Web conferencing system to ensure that there is enough bandwidth to place a call.
Ask her sales reps for permission to make the switch.
Be sure all of her sales reps know how to use the technology.
Nate, Shelby, and Tomas are in a conference room gathered around a speakerphone. Tomas dials a number and is connected to a conference bridge, where he enters a passcode. Katrina dials in from her home office using her smartphone. All four join the company's monthly virtual sales meeting with their coworkers from around the country.
To make the meeting more successful, Nate, Shelby, and Tomas should do all of the following EXCEPT: Check all that apply.
- Summarize the discussion to be sure that virtual technology limitations are overcome.
- Log into the meeting 15 minutes early to avoid problems.
- Have the monthly sales meeting at the same time every month.
- Allow one person to make most of the comments during the meeting.
Have the monthly sales meeting at the same time every month.
Allow one person to make most of the comments during the meeting.
Darian provides technical support and training for optical engineering software for clients around the world. He often holds virtual training sessions on software updates and features. He likes to use the Share Desktop feature for software demonstrations; however, when Darian is in Share Desktop mode, he cannot see his training participants' video feed. Since many of his clients are nonnative English speakers, Darian is never sure whether he has presented clearly enough.
What should Darian do to ensure that all of his virtual training session participants are understanding his demonstrations?
He should recap often and utilize roundtable discussions.
He should use face-to-face training sessions where he can read the body language of participants.
He should speak as quickly as possible so there is more time for questions.
He should recap often and utilize roundtable discussions.
Speaking quickly will make it more difficult for the meeting attendees to follow what Darian is saying. Holding face-to-face training sessions with global clients in remote locations is not always financially feasible.
Lindsay
is training two new sales representatives, Lance and Ayden, to use the revised client-tracking database, which has been updated and improved. Lindsay is sharing her desktop to walk them through the steps of inputting new client information. Lindsay is in Indianapolis, Lance is in Boston, and Ayden is in Phoenix.
In order to make the meeting more successful, Lindsay should: Check all that apply.
Frequently ask Lance and Ayden if what she is saying makes sense.
Explain how questions should be asked and answered.
Be sure that Lance and Ayden know how to connect to Lindsay's desktop.
Expect to review meeting content due to the limitations of virtual technology.
Explain how questions should be asked and answered.
Be sure that Lance and Ayden know how to connect to Lindsay's desktop.
Expect to review meeting content due to the limitations of virtual technology.
Explanation:
Lindsay should not ask vague,
general questions such as "Does this make sense?" Instead, she should ask respondents to answer a specific question, inviting them to speak for at least 30 seconds without interruption.
Which of the following are important practices to follow during the virtual meeting? Check all that apply.
Confront conflict frankly.
Start on time and introduce the agenda.
Summarize along the way.
Train people on the meeting technology.
Confront conflict frankly.
Start on time and introduce the agenda.
Summarize along the way.
Jen is on a project team that has members in four different locations in three time zones. When the team needs to meet at a time that differs from the scheduled weekly meeting, the amount of communication required to find an appropriate meeting time nearly fills up Jen's e-mail inbox. She would like a more efficient way to schedule meetings.
What should Jen do, considering that she wants a better method for scheduling team meetings?
Use telephone conversations rather than e-mail.
Reduce the size of the team.
Use a digital calendar system
Use a digital calendar system
Explanation:
Calendaring software can be used to set a meeting date, issue invitations, and send the agenda.
Reducing the size of the team doesn't directly address the issue, and
using the telephone might be difficult since team members work in three different time zones.
For example, if you're having trouble focusing on a message, you could__________________________________________
control internal and external distractions
assume the message isn't important
ask someone else later
control internal and external distractions
You work as a salesperson for a chemical manufacturer, which keeps you very busy. Your customers are photographers who use your company's products to create professional images for publication. They are usually a friendly clientele. Today, however, one customer, Jesse Adamson, is upset when he calls to inquire about his order. Jesse says he will miss his deadline if he doesn't receive his order right away. He threatens to stop using your company's products if his demand is not met and his order is not filled immediately.
What is the most important message your customer is trying to deliver?
He urgently needs his chemical order.
He is an important photographer.
He is having financial problems.
He urgently needs his chemical order.
What can you do to listen more effectively to your customer?
Ask gentle, probing questions.
Transfer the call to your supervisor so the caller calms down.
Defend your company's reputation.
Ask gentle, probing questions.
Michael doesn't agree with the direction his teammates want to go with the team's project. Michael wants to understand his teammates' reasoning. As they attempt to explain it to him, he keeps interrupting with questions and strong objections. Michael is becoming more and more frustrated as the meeting goes on.
What can
Michael do to reduce his frustration and listen more effectively?
Check all that apply.
He can interrupt only for critical objections.
He can write down his questions and save them until the end.
He can avoid interrupting his teammates.
He can change the subject.
He can write down his questions and save them until the end.
He can avoid interrupting his teammates.
For example, if you're having trouble focusing on a message, you could____________________________
ask clarifying questions
ask for a written document
create a conflict
ask clarifying questions
You are a member of a project team revising your company's ethics policy. The team has representatives from four divisions: Software Engineering, Business Systems, Demand Planning, and Corporate Communications. You are the
Corporate Communications representative and the team's leader. Audra, a member of the project team, comments that the team is not performing as well as it could. Then she suggests that the team review a new draft of the ethics policy. She believes the policy will have positive effects on the team and on the organization as a whole.
What is the most important message your colleague is trying to deliver?
The other members of the team are ineffective.
She wants to present a new draft of the ethics policy.
She is concerned that her work isn't being valued.
She wants to present a new draft of the ethics policy.
What can you do to listen more effectively to your colleague?
Agree with her assessment.
Prejudge her remarks.
Remain objective.
Remain objective.
Sabrina is in a team meeting. The
team is discussing which direction it should go with its current project. Each team member has a different opinion; therefore, according to team procedures, each member has two minutes to present his or her argument to the team without interruption. After each member has presented his or her perspective, there will be time for questions and discussion. Sabrina is attempting to truly understand each team member's position.
What should she do during pauses in the presentations? Check all that
apply.
She should plan her response.
She should quietly talk to the teammate next to her.
She should check her e-mail.
She should capitalize on lag time.
She should capitalize on lag time.