Mgmt 8th edition williams test bank

MGMT 8th Edition Williams Test Bank Visit to download the full and correct content document: https://testbankdeal.com/download/mgmt-8th-edition-williams-test-bank/

Chapter_10_Test 1

A work team is a small number of people who have been assigned responsibility for pursuing a common purpose, achieving performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes.

True False

2

Companies are making greater use of teams because teams have been shown to increase (1) customer satisfaction, (2) product and service quality, (3) speed and efficiency in product development, and (4) employee job satisfaction.

True False 3

In many industries, teams are growing in importance because they help organizations respond to specific problems and challenges.

True False

4

A company engaged in cross­training is training team members to do all or most of the jobs performed by the other team members.

True False

5

In the decision­making process, teams can do a much better job than individuals in defining the problem and generating alternative solutions.

True False

6

The three significant disadvantages that teams and teamwork are prone to are initially high turnover, social loafing, and legal risk.

True False

7

Since teams should be an end in themselves, it is appropriate to use them in most situations.

True False

8

Social loafing occurs when workers withhold their efforts and fail to perform their share of the work.

True False

9

Teams are typically required when tasks are complex, require multiple perspectives, or require repeated interaction with others to complete.

True False

10

Autonomy is the degree to which workers have the discretion, freedom, and independence to decide how and when to accomplish their jobs.

True False

11

The autonomy continuum shows how five kinds of teams differ in terms of autonomy. The correct sequence from low team autonomy to high team autonomy is (1) traditional work groups, (2) employee involvement groups, (3) semi­autonomous work groups, (4) self­designing teams, and (5) self­ managing teams.

True False 12

Employee involvement teams not only provide advice and suggestions to management but also have the authority to make decisions and solve problems related to the major tasks required to produce a product or service.

True False

13

Self­designing teams have all the characteristics of self­managing teams, but they can also control and change the design of the teams themselves, the tasks they do and how they do them, and who belongs to the teams.

True False

14

Cross­functional teams are purposefully composed of employees from different functional areas of the organization.

True False

15

Virtual teams are often, but not necessarily, temporary teams that are set up to accomplish a specific task.

True False

16

One of the disadvantages of project teams is their lack of flexibility.

True False

17

Norms are informally agreed­upon standards that regulate team behavior.

They are valuable because they let team members know what is expected of them.

True False

18

Team norms may be associated with either positive or negative outcomes for the company.

True False

19

Cohesiveness refers to the extent to which members of a team are experiencing job satisfaction.

True False

20

Cognitive conflict is strongly associated with improvements in team performance, and affective conflict is strongly associated with decreases in team performance.

True False

21

Sincere attempts to reach agreement on a difficult issue can quickly

deteriorate from cognitive to affective conflict.

True False 22

​s teams develop and grow, they pass through three stages of development.

A These three stages are (1) perceived team, (2) felt team, and (3) manifest team.

True False

23

Conflicts and disagreements often characterize the second stage of team development, which is called storming.

True False

24

Since teams that get stuck in the storming stage will be strained but productive, it is important for team leaders to focus the team on balancing cognitive and affective conflict.

True False

25

Once teams have made it to the performing stage, they no longer need fear a decline in performance.

True False

26

To enhance work team effectiveness, managers should carefully set team goals and priorities and take care when selecting, training, and compensating team members.

True False

27

Structural accommodation means giving teams the ability to change organizational structures, policies, and practices if it helps them meet their stretch goals.

True False

28

A preference for teamwork (i.e., collectivism), team level, and team diversity can help companies choose the right team members.

True False

29

The most common type of training provided to members of work teams is training in leadership skills.

True False

30

In general, gainsharing is most effective for self­managing and self­directing teams performing complex tasks, while skill­based pay works best in relatively stable environments where employees can focus on improving the productivity, cost savings, or quality of their current work system.

True False 31

In general, skill­based pay is most effective for managing the performance of self­managing and self­directing teams.

True False

32

A(n) _____ is defined as a small number of people with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for pursuing a common purpose, achieving performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes.

work team crowd mob work crew organization 33

A local hospital ran into a funding problem when it tried to build a new state­of­the­art pediatric unit. The hospital management asked a group of physicians, hospital volunteers, and administrative staff to develop and implement a plan to raise the necessary money. This group of people with complementary skills formed a(n) _____.

f​ unctional department autonomous unit work team crowd skilled group 34

The employees at Run Shoes Inc. work in groups that work together by collaborating their skills and cooperating with each other. Thus, they

develop and deliver their products while being accountable for them. From the information given in this scenario, we can infer that Run Shoes Inc. uses _____.​

​utonomous units a ad hoc committees work teams franchisees ​ impromptu groups ​ 35

How are organizations using teams to help increase customer satisfaction?

By instituting a system of increased formalization throughout the organization By training teams to meet the needs of specific customers By creating more autonomous units ​ By taking indirect responsibility for service quality By ensuring ideal solutions for all customer issues 36

A research organization has project teams that perform field research for its clients. Each member of these project teams is trained to conduct observational research, interview clients, and understand the marketing impact of what they learn. Thus, the team is able to work normally even when one of its members is absent. The organization uses _____ to make its project teams more efficient.

synergistic goals stretch goals cross­training vestibule training on­the­job training 37

In order to cut costs and improve efficiency, old assembly line of a chocolate manufacturing company is being replaced by a system of employees working in groups. Under the new system, each person does several jobs because each of them have been trained to do the others' tasks.

The chocolate manufacturing company is using _____.

cross­training autonomous units job specialization ad hoc groups overlapping training 38

Evie's Diner, a restaurant, has different cooks for vegetarian and non­ vegetarian dishes. But all the cooks are trained to cook both kinds of food.

This is an example of _____.

cross­training task appraisal job enlargement overlapping training extended training

39

An advantage of _____ is that it broadens workers' skills and increases their capabilities while also making their work more varied and interesting.

cross­training job enlargement job specialization niche jobs on­the­job training 40

_____ is one of the disadvantages associated with the use of work teams.

Storming behavior Social loafing Specializing Outsourcing Stonewalling 41

_____ is a term used by work teams to describe when workers withhold their efforts and fail to perform their share of the work.

​tonewalling​ S Social loafing Norming ​ Storming Bystander apathy ​ 42

Which of the following statements about social loafing is true?

It only occurs in organizational settings.

It is more likely to occur in larger groups.

It creates an accommodative decision­making climate.

It preempts the usefulness of brainstorming.

It does not occur if there is a group leader.

43

Teams should NOT be used when:

tasks are complex. ample resources are available. there is no clear, engaging purpose. rewards can be provided for groups. tasks require repeated interaction with others to complete.

44

An organization should use teams when:

​task does not require interdependence. a there is no clear, engaging reason or purpose. rewards are provided for individual effort. ample resources are available.

a task is simple.

45

Teams are typically required when:

tasks are simple. tasks require multiple perspectives. rewards are provided for individual efforts. an organization has very limited resources. no clear, engaging purpose is discernible.

46

The least amount of autonomy is found in ____.

traditional work groups autonomous teams semi­autonomous work groups self­managing teams ad hoc committees 47

A manager who wants to give his team the highest amount of autonomy should select _____.

self­managing teams self­designing teams semi­autonomous work groups employee involvement teams reciprocal work teams 48

In the autonomy continuum, the correct sequence, from low team autonomy to high team autonomy, is:

employee involvement teams, traditional work groups, semi­autonomous work groups, self­managing teams, and self­designing teams. traditional work groups, employee involvement teams, self­managing teams, semi­autonomous work groups, and self­designing teams. self­designing teams, traditional work groups, employee involvement teams, semi­autonomous work groups, and self­managing teams. traditional work groups, employee involvement teams, semi­autonomous work groups, self­managing teams, and self­designing teams. employer­mandated teams, traditional work groups, employee involvement teams, project teams, and self­ managing teams.

49

Joshua, an employee at Waves Corp., is a member of a typical traditional work group. Joshua should expect to be responsible for:

doing what he is told to do. cross­training employees who are not part of his

work team. making decisions and solving problems regarding major production or service tasks. giving advice and making suggestions to the management. creating ideas through processes like brainstorming.

50

The only type of responsibility given to traditional work groups is to:

execute a task. give advice and make suggestions. make decisions and solve problems. manage and control all major production tasks. receive and process organizational information.

51

Spencer's Autotech Inc. is a car repair company. It maintains an employee involvement group to track the company's goals and performance metrics.

This team would most likely:

control and change the design of the teams themselves. provide advice to management concerning areas that needed change. solve problems related to marketing and manufacturing issues. control all of the major production tasks at Spencer's Autotech. manage and control the acquisition of materials.

52

_____ do NOT have the authority to make decisions.

Self­designing teams Employee involvement teams Semi­autonomous work groups Self­managing teams Autonomous work groups 53

A(n) _____ is defined as a group that has the authority to make decisions and solve problems related to the major tasks of producing a product or service.

employee involvement team traditional work group self­designing team semi­autonomous work group conventional work team 54

Which of the following statements about semi­autonomous work groups is true?

They are not cross­trained.

They have the least autonomy.

They can control and change the design of the team.

They have the authority to make decisions that are typically made by supervisors and managers.

They manage and control all of the major tasks directly related to production of a product or service without first getting approval from management.

55

Self­managing teams are different from semi­autonomous work groups in that team members:

are responsible for doing the work or executing the task, but they do not have direct responsibility or control over their work. offer advice and suggestions to the management, they do not have the authority to make decisions. manage and control all of the major tasks directly related to production of a product or service without first getting approval from management. control and change the design of the teams themselves, the tasks they do and how and when they do them, and the membership of the teams. have partial authority to make decisions that are typically made by supervisors and managers because their managers still play an important role.

56

Which of the following types of teams has the authority to change their composition as well as all of their tasks and work methods?

Self­designing teams Employee involvement groups Self­managing teams Semi­autonomous work groups Traditional work groups 57

Raul, the CEO of Color Paints Inc. noticed that their plant loses considerable time daily because the assembly line has to be cleaned whenever the production schedule called for a different color to be produced. He, thus, established a team which was composed of employees from several different departments in order to solve this problem in a creative manner. This team came up with a solution that resulted in a significant increase in plant availability and an innovative alternative which successfully decreased plant downtime. This team exemplifies a(n) _____.

traditional work group normative team virtual team cross­functional team conventional skilled team 58

Brown Beverages Corp. uses a cross­functional team to develop four to six new beverages annually. Brown Beverages Corp. most likely uses a cross­ functional team because it:

allows the company to use employees from various departments with varying perspectives to attack the task. allows the team members to work individually. ensures that the team members can go back to their original teams once they have finished developing the beverages. ensures that the members will be able to work together irrespective of their locations. allows the company to get input from all of its external stakeholders.

59

_____ are best defined as groups of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers who use a combination of telecommunications and information technologies to accomplish an organizational task.

Virtual teams Ad hoc teams Semi­autonomous teams Self­managing teams Horizontally organized teams 60

The Turnpike Authority of the state of Lakewood encountered several challenges while constructing tunnels. Hence, it created a national team of tunnel experts to develop road tunnel engineering principles, traffic flow patterns, and maintenance practices through the use of telecommunications and information technology. In this scenario, this group of tunnel experts can be best categorized as a _____.

self­directed team normative team virtual team multifunctional team technological team 61

Which of the following statements is true of virtual teams?

They are also called illusionary focus groups.

They are often temporary teams that are set up to accomplish a specific task.

They are required to send all the group communication through a senior manager who acts as a filter.

They are always self­managing teams.

They regularly meet face­to­face in informal group meetings.

62

Identify the statement that is true about virtual teams.

They are mostly permanent and are engaged in all of the organization's business.

They are continuing to decline in popularity.

They find it difficult to include key stakeholders such as suppliers and customers.

They are often inflexible.

They typically require smaller time commitment than traditional teams do.

63

A drawback of virtual teams is that:

their members must learn to express themselves in new contexts. their members find them inflexible. there is an absence of autonomy. they have too much autonomy. they establish several group norms.

64

Fervor Tax Service has a largely white, male demographic at present. A new group has been established in Fervor to improve the employment, retention, and promotion prospects of women and ethnic minorities. The team has six months to gather information and create a plan. This group can best be categorized as a(n) _____.

autonomous team project team virtual team cross­functional team traditional work team 65

_____ are often used to develop new products, significantly improve existing products, roll out new information systems, or build new factories or offices within a specific time, following which the team members either move on to the next project or return to their functional units.

Traditional work groups Project teams Virtual teams Joint committees Standing committees 66

Which of the following kinds of teams is always temporary?

Cross­functional team Project team Self­designing team Self­managing team Virtual team 67

A group of medical specialists work in the neonatal unit of Bightlake Medical College and Hospital. This group has agreed that they should explain students the reasons of specific procedures as and when they are performed although there are no hospital rules mandating that the students should be given an explanation. What can this rule be best categorized as?

Guideline Norm

Behavioral policy Ethical code Operational guide 68

A group of workers in a medical examiner's office decided that they would not wear light­colored denim jeans to work because such casual wear seemed unprofessional. This informal agreement was made although the office did not have a dress code policy. The workers created a(n) _____.

​uideline g norm work model code of ethics operational guide 69

Lisa recently joined a famous multinational company. During her first few days, she went to work wearing casual clothing. However, she gradually came to know that this was not the expected dress code as everyone in the office dressed in formal attire. This was not specifically told to her, nor was it officially established as she later found out. The formal dress code is an example of a(n) _____.

guideline norm behavioral policy ethical policy operational guide 70

Which of the following statements regarding cohesiveness is true?

Engaging in non­work activities as a team can help build cohesion.

Cohesive groups engage in less cooperative behavior.

Cohesive groups always perform better.

Cohesive groups have trouble retaining their members.

High group cohesiveness equates to low team motivation.

71

Minority domination will most likely be a problem _____.

as teams grow in cross­functional teams of any size in virtual teams because of the nature of the communication medium as teams decrease in size in project teams because they are temporary 72

_____ refers to the emotional reactions that can occur when disagreements become personal rather than professional.

High cohesiveness

Cognitive conflict Affective conflict Normative conflict Behavioral conflict 73

Which of the following types of conflicts is most strongly associated with improvements in team performance?

Cognitive conflict Horizontal conflict Behavioral conflict Vertical conflict Affective conflict 74

With _____ conflict, team members disagree because their different experiences and expertise lead them to different views of the problem and solutions.

negative affective behavioral cognitive emotional 75

Identify the correct statement about team conflicts.

Managers who participate on teams that experienced affective conflict usually describe their teammates as manipulative, secretive, burned out, and political.

Cognitive conflict undermines team performance by preventing teams from engaging in the kinds of activities that are critical to team effectiveness.

Affective conflict is beneficial to a group while cognitive conflict undermines group performance.

Affective conflict occurs when team members disagree because their different experiences and expertise lead them to different views of the problem and solutions.​ Affective conflict is characterized by a willingness to examine, compare, and reconcile differences to produce the best possible solution.

76

Which of the following statements is true of a­type conflict?

It is strongly associated with improvements in team performance.

It can make people more comfortable with their relationships with group peers.

It can decrease team cohesiveness.

It usually precedes cognitive conflict.

It is characterized by a willingness to examine, compare, and reconcile differences to produce the best possible solution.

77

Which of the following is NOT one of the recommendations for minimizing the occurrence of affective conflict and having a good fight?

Establish common goals Work with more, rather than less, information Maintain a balance of power Inject humor into the workplace Always resolve issues by consensus 78

Linda is a manager at a local restaurant. She wants to introduce a new scheme that she thinks will improve customer satisfaction. But before this, she needs to inform her team about this. Should Linda force consensus for her new scheme? Why?

No, because requiring consensus gives veto power only to Linda.​ Yes, because consensus eliminates problems associated with minority domination.

No, because insisting on consensus usually promotes affective rather than cognitive conflict.

Yes, because the scheme will get morphed till everyone agrees.

No, because team consensus leads to more social loafing.

79

Which of the following statements is true of team development?

The development stages are forming, storming, norming, and performing.

Group cohesion is relatively strong at the storming stage.

Team performance begins to decline at the norming stage.

Storming is the first stage of team development.

Positive team norms first start developing in the performing stage.

80

A group of architects and engineers has been organized to plan the construction of a new bridge. The team members are getting to know each other and are setting some preliminary ground rules. This group is in the _____ stage of team development.

reforming storming norming forming performing 81

Which of the following typically happens during the storming stage of team

development?

Team members begin to work together, and different personalities and work styles clash.

Team members engage in brainstorming.

Team members begin to settle into their roles as team members.

The comfort level of team members begins to decrease.

Team members feel mutual accountability.

82

Benson & Parker Advertising recently hired a fresh batch of copywriters and designers for their creative team. Initially, there was a lot of turbulence among the new team. In which stage of team development is this group at Benson & Parker Advertising most likely to resolve petty differences, develop friendships, and establish strong group cohesiveness?

Reforming Storming Norming Forming Performing 83

Group cohesion tends to be relatively strong at the _____ stage of team development.

storming norming forming conforming informing 84

Which of the following is one of the stages that teams pass through as they develop and grow rather than decline?

De­norming De­storming De­forming Performing Reforming 85

A team finally matures into a fully functioning team at the _____ stage of development.

norming de­norming performing conforming de­storming 86

In the stages of team development, a team first moves from growth to decline during the _____ stage.

storming

de­forming de­storming de­norming reforming 87

PRO Pharma Corp. went bankrupt in the year 2009. In 2014, the CEO of PRO Laboratories established a project team and wanted it to help the company to become "the most valuable pharmaceutical company." In this scenario, the project team is given a(n) _____.

temporal mission myopic mission proximity goal options­based objective stretch goal 88

_____ can be best defined as the ability to change organizational structures, policies, and practices if doing so helps teams meet their stretch goals.

Structural accommodation Bureaucratic immunity Minority domination Self­designing Administrative reciprocity 89

Which of the following factors is necessary for stretch goals to effectively motivate teams?

Formalized rules and regulations Bureaucratic immunity Administrative reciprocity Minority dominance Stonewalling 90

The achievement of stretch goals is made easier when the team members have _____.

dominant minority bureaucratic immunity strategic diversity vast scope limited cohesiveness 91

_____ means that teams no longer have to go through the frustratingly slow process of multilevel reviews and sign­offs to get management approval before making changes.

Administrative reciprocity Structural accommodation Minority domination Virtual accommodation Bureaucratic immunity 92

Which of the following is NOT necessary for stretch goals to effectively motivate teams?

High degree of autonomy Empowerment to control resources Structural accommodation Conflict management training Ability to change organizational policies and procedures 93

Jessica works in the Human Resources department of a social media organization. The organization is currently hiring a team of designers to revamp its current interface. Which of the following factors would best help Jessica in selecting the right team?

Team diversity Team synergy Team level Team conformity Team performance 94

A research group is composed of students of theology, actors, and musicians as well as the more traditional marketing experts and statisticians. Given this information, it is can be inferred that the group is high in _____.

team cohesiveness team diversity team level collectivism structural accommodation 95

The finance team of a start­up company has a majority of white employees.

It, however, plans to hire more people from various other ethnic backgrounds in the near future. The organization is trying to increase its _____.

group norms team diversity aggregated creativity collectivism structural accommodation 96

Which of the following statements about team training is true?

Organizations often overestimate the amount of training required to make teams effective.

Cross­training is less appropriate for teams of highly skilled workers.

The most common type of training provided is training in technical skills.

Team leaders typically do not require training.

The most common type of training provided is training in conceptual skills.

97

A producer of mobile aerial work platforms rewards employees for the number of basic skills they can perform rather than for the jobs to which

they are assigned. Prior to initiating this system, pay increases were based on a merit system. The merit system is still in effect; however, the new program emphasizes continued acquisition of new skills. The new program can be best categorized as _____.

hourly wage gainsharing piecework retained earning skill­based pay 98

_____ is defined as a compensation system in which companies share the financial value of performance gains, such as increased productivity, cost savings, or improved quality, with their workers.

Skill­based pay Gainsharing Piecework Profit sharing Structural accommodation 99

An organization that rewards its team members through gainsharing is _____.

using a nonfinancial reward sharing the financial value of performance gains paying employees to gain new skills paying hourly wages engaging in cross­training 100

_____ range from vacations to T­shirts, plaques, and coffee mugs and are especially effective when coupled with management recognition, such as awards, certificates, and praise.

Hourly wages Gainsharing Piecework pay Retained earnings Nonfinancial rewards 101

Which of the following statements about team compensation is generally true?

Skill­based pay works best in relatively stable environments where employees can focus on improving productivity, cost savings, or quality.

Skill­based pay is more effective for self­directing teams performing complex tasks.

In skill­based pay programs, companies share the financial value of performance gains, such as productivity increases, cost savings, or quality improvements, with their workers.

Gainsharing programs pay employees for learning additional skills or knowledge.

Skill­based pay programs tend to be most effective

when teams or team­based interventions, such as total quality management, are first introduced.

102

In general, _____ works best in relatively stable environments where employees can focus on improving the productivity, cost savings, or quality of their current work system.

piecework pay hourly wage nonfinancial reward gainsharing skill­based pay 103

What are work teams? Briefly comment on why work teams have become increasingly popular in business since the mid­ to late­1980s.

Answer: Work teams consist of a small number of people with complementary skills who hold themselves mutually accountable for pursuing a common purpose, achieving performance goals, and improving interdependent work processes.

In many industries, teams are growing in importance because they help organizations respond to specific problems and challenges. Though work teams are not the answer for every situation or organization, if the right teams are used properly and in the right settings, teams can dramatically improve company performance over more traditional management approaches and instill a sense of vitality in the workplace that is otherwise difficult to achieve.

104

Define cross­training. Briefly explain how cross­training can lead to increased job satisfaction.

Answer: Cross­training involves training team members to do all or most of the jobs performed by the other team members. Since this procedure gives workers a chance to improve their skills, it is one of the reasons why teamwork can be more satisfying than traditional work. It can lead to increased job satisfaction. The advantage for the organization is that cross­training allows teams to function normally when one member is absent, quits or is transferred. The advantage for workers is that cross­training broadens their skills and increases their capabilities while also making their work more varied and interesting.

105

What are the four guidelines managers use to determine the use of teams?

Answer: Teams should be used (1) when there is a clear, engaging reason or purpose; (2) when the work requires that people work together; (3) when rewards can be provided for both teamwork and team performance; and (4) when ample resources can be provided.

106

List the five types of teams on the team autonomy continuum. What is each team's highest level of responsibility (i.e., the highest level of task that they

have independent control over)?

Answer: Autonomy is the key dimension that makes teams different. Traditional work groups employee involvement groups have the lowest levels of autonomy. Traditional work groups have no authority; they simply execute their assigned task. Employee involvement groups have authority only to make suggestions; their suggestions may or may not be taken up by management. Semi­autonomous work groups have more autonomy, in particular over decisions that relate to the production of the product or service that is their assignment. Self­managing teams and self­ designing teams have the highest levels of autonomy. Self­managing teams have authority over all matters directly related to the project, while self­designing teams have authority to control everything down to who is on the team and how tasks are done.

107

Identify the three special kinds of teams that can't be easily categorized in terms of autonomy. For each of these teams, identify the probability that it would be formed on a temporary or permanent basis.

Answer: These special kinds of teams are cross­functional teams, virtual teams, and project teams. Cross­functional teams are intentionally composed of employees from different functional areas of the organization. Cross­ functional teams can be used almost anywhere in an organization and are often used in conjunction with matrix and product organizational structures.

They can also be used with either part­time or temporary team assignments or with full­time, long­term projects. Virtual teams are groups of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers who use a combination of telecommunications and information technologies to accomplish an organizational task. Virtual teams can be employee involvement teams, self­managing teams, or nearly any kind of team discussed in this chapter. Virtual teams are often (but not necessarily) temporary teams set up to accomplish a specific task. Project teams are created to complete specific, one­time projects or tasks (such as developing new products or improving existing products) within a limited time. When projects are finished, project team members either move on to the next project or return to their functional units.

108

What are project teams? List the advantages associated with their usage.

Answer: Project teams are created to complete specific, one­time projects or tasks within a limited time. Project teams are often used to develop new products, to significantly improve existing products, to roll out new information systems, or to build new factories or offices. Because project tasks are typically unique, project teams are often staffed by employees from different functional areas. One advantage of project teams is that drawing employees from different functional areas can reduce or eliminate communication barriers. In turn, free­flowing communication encourages cooperation among separate departments and typically speeds up the design process. Another advantage of project teams is their flexibility. When projects are finished, project team members either move on to the next project or return to their functional units. Because of this flexibility, project

teams are often used with the matrix organizational designs.

109

How does a team's size influence its performance?

Answer: There appears to be a curvilinear relationship between team size and performance. In other words, very small or very large teams may not perform as well as moderately­ sized teams. For most teams, the right size is somewhere between six and nine members. Teams of this size are small enough for the team members to get to know each other and for each member to have an opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to the success of the team. However, they're also large enough to take advantage of team members' diverse skills, knowledge, and perspectives. By contrast, when teams get too large, team members find it difficult to get to know one another and may splinter into smaller subgroups, suffering from problems of social loafing, self­limiting behavior, minority domination, or other logistical problems. Teams that are too small, with just a few people, may lack the diversity of skills and knowledge found in larger teams. Also, they are unlikely to gain the advantages of team decision making (multiple perspectives, generating more ideas and alternative solutions, and stronger commitment) found in larger teams.

110

Explain what managers can do to manage conflict in teams effectively.

Answer: The key to dealing with team conflict is to maximize cognitive conflict, which focuses on problem­related differences of opinion, and minimize affective conflict, or the emotional reactions that occur when disagreements become personal rather than professional. It is important for managers to note that while cognitive conflict is helpful in teams because of its association with a willingness to examine, compare, and reconcile differences to produce the best possible solution, it can easily deteriorate into affective conflict if the discussion turns personal and tempers and emotions flare. Thus, six recommendations have been provided for minimizing the occurrence of affective conflict. First, work with more, rather than less, information. Second, develop multiple alternatives to enrich debate. Third, establish common goals. Fourth, inject humor into the workplace. Fifth, maintain a balance of power by involving as many people as possible in the decision process. And, sixth, resolve issues without forcing a consensus.

111

List the stages that teams pass through as they develop and grow. Also list the stages of decline that may occur if teams are not managed properly once they achieve peak performance.

Answer: As teams develop and grow, they pass through four stages of development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. The performing stage typically represents peak performance for the team. However, after a period of time, if not managed well, performance may decline as teams progress through the stages of de­norming, de­ storming, and de­forming. If teams are actively managed, decline is not inevitable. However, managers need to

recognize that the forces at work in the de­norming, de­ storming, and de­ forming stages represent a powerful, disruptive, and real threat to teams that have finally made it to the performing stage.

112

What are stretch goals? What four things must occur for stretch goals to motivate teams effectively?

Answer: Stretch goals are extremely ambitious goals that workers don't know how to reach. They can be used to motivate teams as long as those teams have (1) autonomy, (2) control over resources, (3) structural accommodation (the ability to change organizational structures, policies, and practices), and (4) bureaucratic immunity (the ability to make changes without first getting approval from managers or other parts of an organization).

113

List and briefly describe the three methods of compensating employees for team participation and accomplishments.

Answer: The three methods of compensating employees for team participation and accomplishments are (1) skill­based pay (a compensation system that pays employees for learning additional skills or knowledge), (2) gainsharing (a compensation system in which companies share the financial value of performance gains such as productivity, cost savings, or quality with their workers), and (3) nonfinancial rewards (which can range from vacation trips to T­shirts, plaques, and coffee mugs).

114

Briefly identify the advantages and disadvantages of using teams. Describe a situation in which you or someone you know worked in a team setting. Be sure to specify which of the general advantages and/or disadvantages of using teams were manifest in that situation.

Answer: There are four advantages to using teams: (1) Teams have been shown to increase customer satisfaction through the use of specific customer service teams as well as problem­solving teams. (2) Teams have been shown to increase product and service quality by allowing teams to take direct responsibility for their output. (3) Teams have been shown to increase employee job satisfaction through cross training, providing unique leadership responsibilities. (4) Teams have been shown to improve group decision makingbecause different team members will inevitably have different perspectives on an issue. Teams can generate more alternatives, and they can pool their collective knowledge and skills, yielding better decisions.

While teams can produce significant improvements in these areas, using teams does not guarantee these positive outcomes. Teams have three specific disadvantages: (1) Initially high turnoveroccurs because teams aren't for everyone and some workers will balk at the responsibility, effort, and learning required in team settings. (2) Social loafing may occur. This is a behavior in which team members withhold their efforts and fail to perform their share of the work. Social loafing is especially problematic in large groups. (3) Disadvantages of group decision making such as groupthink, excessive time, poorly­run meetings, domination by a few team members,

and weak accountability may occur, although teams also share many of the advantages of group decision making such as multiple perspectives, generation of more alternatives, and more commitment for implementation.

(Student examples will often revolve around class assignments that were completed in small groups. As such, desired advantages would include increased product quality and problem solving with the possibility of increased student satisfaction­if the experience is a good one. However, given the widely differing levels of student motivation and interpersonal skills in any given classroom, many students will report bad experiences.

Better answers will clearly provide enough background information on the situation, behaviors, and outputs involved to assess the degree of appropriateness of the examples cited.)

115

Identify the key dimension on which teams differ. Define and describe the continuum of teams used by companies along this dimension. If a manager had a high need for personal power and control, explain which of these types of teams he or she would probably be most happy working with in a managerial capacity. Also explain how he or she might react to a proposal to introduce teams into his or her work unit.

Answer: Studies indicate that the amount of autonomy possessed by a team is the key dimension that makes teams different from each another. Autonomy is the degree to which workers have the discretion, freedom, and independence to decide how and when to accomplish their jobs. A team autonomy continuum identifies five different kinds of teams, each with increasing levels of autonomy (i.e., decision­making authority). In order of increasing autonomy, these are (1) traditional work groups (groups composed of two or more people who work together to achieve a shared goal), which have the lowest level of autonomy and simply execute the task; (2) employee involvement groups,which are teams that provide advice or make suggestions to management concerning specific issues, but still have no decision­making authority; (3) semi­autonomous work groups, which have considerably more autonomy since they not only provide advice and suggestions to management but also have the authority to make decisions and solve problems related to the major tasks required to produce a product or service; (4) self­ managing teams, where team members manage and control all of the major tasks directly related to production of a product or service without first getting approval from management; and, finally, at the highest level of autonomy (5) self­designing teams, which have all the characteristics of self­managing teams but can also control and change the design of the teams themselves, the tasks they do and how they do them, and who belongs to the teams.

If a manager had a high need for personal power and control, it is likely that he or she would prefer to make decisions unilaterally rather than delegate such authority to a team. Thus, it is most likely that such a manager would prefer to work with either traditional work groups or employee involvement groups since all information and all problem­solving and decision­making authority remains in his or her hands with both of these types of teams (i.e., the manager retains power and control). Such a manager is likely to resist the introduction of any of the other three types of teams to his or her work unit since each of them possesses significant decision­making authority, which directly reduces the power and control of their manager.

116

What are virtual teams? Discuss the advantages of using virtual teams.

Answer: Virtual teams are groups of geographically and/or organizationally dispersed coworkers who use a combination of telecommunications and information technologies to accomplish an organizational task. In other words, members of virtual teams rarely meet face to face. The idea of virtual teams is relatively new and has been made possible by advances in communications and technology such as e­mail, the Web, videoconferencing, and other products. Virtual teams can be employee involvement teams, self­managing teams, or nearly any kind of team. Virtual teams are often (but not necessarily) temporary teams that are set up to accomplish a specific task.

The characteristics of virtual teams make them an excellent asset for use in global organizations, where individual workers may need to collaborate but are separated by both time zones and great distances. Thus, we speculate that global organizations will make increasing use of virtual teams in an attempt to gain or maintain competitive advantage in the future.

The principal advantage of virtual teams is that they are very flexible.

Employees can work with each other regardless of physical location, time zone, or organizational affiliation. Thus, they are likely to become much more prevalent in global organizations in order to overcome these barriers.

Because the team members don't meet in a physical location, one of the unique qualities of virtual teams is that it is much easier to include other key stakeholders such as suppliers and customers. This. can be a particularly strong advantage to a global organization, which potentially faces considerably greater diversity in both suppliers and customers. Plus, virtual teams have certain efficiency advantages over traditional team structures.

Because the teammates do not meet face to face, the time commitment involved in participating in a virtual team is typically not as great as that for a traditional team. Moreover, employees can fulfill the responsibilities of team membership from the comfort of their own offices, without the travel time or downtime typically required by "real" face­­to­­face meetings. This final advantage is a crucial factor for global organizations, where considerable travel time for face­to­face meetings is a very real and significant organizational cost.

117

What are norms? What is cohesiveness? Why is team size an important consideration? How should a manager cope with team conflict? Specify how each of these four characteristics of teams are related to team performance.

Answer: Norms are informally agreed­upon standards that regulate team behavior and are valuable because they let team members know what is expected of them. Studies indicate that norms are one of the most powerful influences on work behavior. Team norms are often associated with positive outcomes such as stronger organizational commitment, more trust in management, and stronger job and organizational satisfaction. However, they can also influence team behavior in negative ways. Research has shown that teams with negative norms strongly influence their team members to engage in negative behaviors. Thus, norms may result in either increases or decreases

in performance and should be closely monitored by managers.

Cohesiveness is the extent to which team members are attracted to a team and motivated to remain in it. Cohesiveness is related to team performance because cohesive teams quickly achieve high levels of performance and consistently perform better. By contrast, it takes teams low in cohesiveness much longer to reach the same levels of performance.

There appears to be a curvilinear relationship between team size and performance. In other words, very small or very large teams may not perform as well as moderately sized teams. For most teams, the right size is somewhere between six and nine members. Teams of this size are cohesive and small enough for team members to get to know each other and contribute in a meaningful way but are also large enough to take advantage of team members' diverse skills, knowledge, and perspectives. Both cohesiveness and a diversity of skills, knowledge, and perspectives produce better team performance.

Conflict and disagreement are inevitable in most teams. The key to dealing with team conflict is to maximize cognitive conflict, which focuses on problem­related differences of opinion and is strongly associated with improvements in team performance, and minimize affective conflict, the emotional reactions that occur when disagreements become personal rather than professional. Affective conflict is strongly associated with decreases in team performance because it prevents teams from engaging in the kinds of activities that are critical to team effectiveness.

118

​escribe the four factors that companies can manage to make teams more D effective. Specify which of these four factors you feel is of greatest importance in enhancing team performance. Explain the reason for your choice.

Answer: Companies can make teams more effective by (1) setting team goals and priorities as well as managing how work team members are (2) selected, (3) trained, and (4) compensated. Team goals clarify team priorities by providing a clear focus and purpose. Since specific and challenging team goals regulate how hard team members work, they also reduce the incidence of social loafing. Team goals lead to much higher team performance 93 percent of the time. Extremely difficult stretch goals can be used to motivate teams as long as those teams have autonomy, control over resources, structural accommodation (the ability to change organizational structures, policies, and practices), and bureaucratic immunity (the ability to make changes without first getting approval from managers or other parts of an organization).

Not everyone is suited for teamwork. When selecting team members, companies should do three things. First, they should select people who have a preference for teamwork. While collectivists are generally more desirable in teams, individualists may be appropriate if team diversity is desired. Second, they should consider the importance of team level, which is the average level of ability, experience, personality, or any other factor on a team. Team level is used to guide selection of teammates when teams need a particular set of skills or capabilities to do their jobs well. Third, companies should consider team diversity, or the differences in ability, experience, personality, or any other factor on a team. Team diversity is used to guide selection of teammates when teams are asked to complete a

wide range of different tasks or when tasks are particularly complex.

Organizations that create work teams often underestimate the amount of training required to make teams effective. The organizations that successfully use teams provide thousands of hours of training to make sure that teams work effectively. The most common types of team training are for interpersonal skills, decision­making and problem­solving skills, conflict resolution skills, technical training to help team members learn multiple jobs (i.e., cross training), and training for team leaders.

There are three methods of compensating employees for team participation and accomplishments: (1) skill­based pay (a compensation system that pays employees for learning additional skills or knowledge), (2) gainsharing (a compensation system in which companies share the financial value of performance gains, such as productivity, cost savings, or quality, with their workers), and (3) nonfinancial rewards (which can range from vacation trips to T­shirts, plaques, and coffee mugs). In general, skill­ based pay is most effective for self­managing and self­directing teams performing complex tasks. In these situations, the more each team member knows and can do, the better the whole team performs. By contrast, gainsharing works best in relatively stable environments where employees can focus on improving the productivity, cost savings, or quality of their current work system.

Nonfinancial rewards are especially effective when coupled with management recognition.

(Many students will select team goals as the single most important factor in enhancing team performance. The research indicating that they lead to much higher performance 93% of the time is a strong argument in favor of this position.

However, depending upon particular assumptions and circumstances specified in an answer, a reasonable argument could be made for selection, training, or compensation. In essence, severe weaknesses or inadequacies in any of these areas has the potential for significantly reducing term performance. Thus, the specific content and logical arguments of student answers would need to be assessed for these options.)