Chapter 1: Understanding Teams
Test Questions and Answers
Learning Objectives
1. What are the characteristics of a group?
2. How is a team different from a group?
3. How are teams used by organizations?
4. How are traditional work groups different from traditional teams and self-managing
teams?
5. Why is the use of teams by organizations increasing?
6. What are the main historical trends in the use of teams?
7. How has the study of group dynamics changed over time?
Short Answer/Essay Questions
1. From a psychological perspective, explain the two processes that define a group.
Two processes define a group from a psychology perspective: social
identification and social representation. “Social identification refers to the
recognition that a group exists separately from others. It is the creation of a
belief in “us versus them.” Identification is both a cognitive process
(classifying the world into categories) and an emotional process (viewing
one’s group as better than other groups). Social representation is the shared
values, ideas, and beliefs that people have about the world. Over time,
belonging to a group changes the ways its members view the world. The group
develops a shared worldview through member interactions.” (pg. 5)
2. Compare and contrast a work group, team, and self-managing team in terms of
power, leadership, decision-making, and activities or tasks.
, A work group is part of the organization’s hierarchy, controlled by a
manager/supervisor, with authoritarian or consultative decision-making, and
independent activities. In contrast, a team is linked to the organization’s
hierarchy, with some shift of power to team; the leader has limited managerial
power; decision-making is consultative, democratic, or by consensus; and
activities are interdependent and coordinated by the team leader. Compared
to the work group and team, the self-managing team has increasing use of
power and independence, although it is still linked to the organization’s
hierarchy. The self-managing team leader is selected by its members, and
decision-making is democratic or by consensus. The activities or tasks are
highly interdependent and coordinated by team members.
3. What major discovery did Hawthorne uncover in his research? How did he come
across this finding?
Hawthorne found that social factors played a large role in performance.
Initially he was interested in how environmental factors affected worker
performance. However, when he found that workers increased their
performance while being observed, he found that it was a social, not
environmental, factor that was in effect. It was also found that social norms in
a group can affect performance.
4. Discuss how the change from routine to nonroutine work and shift to simpler
organizational hierarchies have increased the importance of teamwork in
organizations.
Nonroutine jobs have more complexity, interdependence, uncertainty, variety,
and change than do routine jobs. These factors require multiple skills and
perspectives that can come only from a team of workers. The shift to simpler
organizational hierarchies means a reduction in layers of management, with
teams being used to integrate and coordinate the various parts of an
organization. Teams execute tasks better, learn faster, and change more easily
than do traditional work structures, all characteristics required by the
changing contemporary organization (p. 11).
Multiple Choice
1. Groups are defined by all of the following characteristics except:
a. The members are mutually dependent on each other.
b. There is recognition that people belong to a collective entity.
c. There are rules and roles that control people’s interactions.
, d. Members of the group are dependent on one another to achieve personal
goals.
e. People’s personal needs are being met that reward group membership.
2. Groups are different from teams because:
a. Groups are typically work related while teams are sports related.
b. Teams are typically larger than groups.
c. Team members are more dependent on each other for achieving success
than
group members.
d. Teams are more hierarchical than groups.
e. All of the above are true.
3. Teams are used by organizations to:
a. Provide advice on how to improve quality.
b. Coordinate day-to-day work activities.
c. Design and develop new products.
d. Negotiate working relationships with other organizations.
e. All of the above.
4. Self-managing teams are different from traditional work groups because:
a. There have fewer members.
b. There is no leader.
c. The teams are more strongly linked to the organization’s hierarchy.
d. They make greater use of consensus decision making.
e. All of the above are true.
, 5. The use of teams by organizations is increasing because:
a. Organizations are getting larger.
b. Employees want their jobs to be simplified.
c. Jobs are becoming more complex and interdependent.
d. Organizations are seeking stability.
e. All of the above.
6. The historical approach to job design that shows the value of using teams in most
modern organizations is called:
a. Scientific Management
b. Socio-technical Systems Theory
c. Hawthorne Effect
d. Total Quality Management
e. Quality of Worklife Theory
7. The work of Kurt Lewin and his followers changed the study of group dynamics by:
a. Using the group, rather than the individual, as the unit of study.
b. Developing an Action Research approach that demonstrated the value of applied
research and theory.
c. Showing how the study of groups could be used to promote social change.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
8. Hawthorne discovered that:
a. Studying workers has no impact on worker performance
b. Social factors have an important impact on performance
c. Breaking up tasks into smaller ones leads to an increase in performance
Test Questions and Answers
Learning Objectives
1. What are the characteristics of a group?
2. How is a team different from a group?
3. How are teams used by organizations?
4. How are traditional work groups different from traditional teams and self-managing
teams?
5. Why is the use of teams by organizations increasing?
6. What are the main historical trends in the use of teams?
7. How has the study of group dynamics changed over time?
Short Answer/Essay Questions
1. From a psychological perspective, explain the two processes that define a group.
Two processes define a group from a psychology perspective: social
identification and social representation. “Social identification refers to the
recognition that a group exists separately from others. It is the creation of a
belief in “us versus them.” Identification is both a cognitive process
(classifying the world into categories) and an emotional process (viewing
one’s group as better than other groups). Social representation is the shared
values, ideas, and beliefs that people have about the world. Over time,
belonging to a group changes the ways its members view the world. The group
develops a shared worldview through member interactions.” (pg. 5)
2. Compare and contrast a work group, team, and self-managing team in terms of
power, leadership, decision-making, and activities or tasks.
, A work group is part of the organization’s hierarchy, controlled by a
manager/supervisor, with authoritarian or consultative decision-making, and
independent activities. In contrast, a team is linked to the organization’s
hierarchy, with some shift of power to team; the leader has limited managerial
power; decision-making is consultative, democratic, or by consensus; and
activities are interdependent and coordinated by the team leader. Compared
to the work group and team, the self-managing team has increasing use of
power and independence, although it is still linked to the organization’s
hierarchy. The self-managing team leader is selected by its members, and
decision-making is democratic or by consensus. The activities or tasks are
highly interdependent and coordinated by team members.
3. What major discovery did Hawthorne uncover in his research? How did he come
across this finding?
Hawthorne found that social factors played a large role in performance.
Initially he was interested in how environmental factors affected worker
performance. However, when he found that workers increased their
performance while being observed, he found that it was a social, not
environmental, factor that was in effect. It was also found that social norms in
a group can affect performance.
4. Discuss how the change from routine to nonroutine work and shift to simpler
organizational hierarchies have increased the importance of teamwork in
organizations.
Nonroutine jobs have more complexity, interdependence, uncertainty, variety,
and change than do routine jobs. These factors require multiple skills and
perspectives that can come only from a team of workers. The shift to simpler
organizational hierarchies means a reduction in layers of management, with
teams being used to integrate and coordinate the various parts of an
organization. Teams execute tasks better, learn faster, and change more easily
than do traditional work structures, all characteristics required by the
changing contemporary organization (p. 11).
Multiple Choice
1. Groups are defined by all of the following characteristics except:
a. The members are mutually dependent on each other.
b. There is recognition that people belong to a collective entity.
c. There are rules and roles that control people’s interactions.
, d. Members of the group are dependent on one another to achieve personal
goals.
e. People’s personal needs are being met that reward group membership.
2. Groups are different from teams because:
a. Groups are typically work related while teams are sports related.
b. Teams are typically larger than groups.
c. Team members are more dependent on each other for achieving success
than
group members.
d. Teams are more hierarchical than groups.
e. All of the above are true.
3. Teams are used by organizations to:
a. Provide advice on how to improve quality.
b. Coordinate day-to-day work activities.
c. Design and develop new products.
d. Negotiate working relationships with other organizations.
e. All of the above.
4. Self-managing teams are different from traditional work groups because:
a. There have fewer members.
b. There is no leader.
c. The teams are more strongly linked to the organization’s hierarchy.
d. They make greater use of consensus decision making.
e. All of the above are true.
, 5. The use of teams by organizations is increasing because:
a. Organizations are getting larger.
b. Employees want their jobs to be simplified.
c. Jobs are becoming more complex and interdependent.
d. Organizations are seeking stability.
e. All of the above.
6. The historical approach to job design that shows the value of using teams in most
modern organizations is called:
a. Scientific Management
b. Socio-technical Systems Theory
c. Hawthorne Effect
d. Total Quality Management
e. Quality of Worklife Theory
7. The work of Kurt Lewin and his followers changed the study of group dynamics by:
a. Using the group, rather than the individual, as the unit of study.
b. Developing an Action Research approach that demonstrated the value of applied
research and theory.
c. Showing how the study of groups could be used to promote social change.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
8. Hawthorne discovered that:
a. Studying workers has no impact on worker performance
b. Social factors have an important impact on performance
c. Breaking up tasks into smaller ones leads to an increase in performance
