MENG 540 FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
540 Mission - Answers - To help you transition from being an engineering-trained
individual contributor to effectively managing and leading others.
What were the issues with the James Webb Telescope? - Answers - 5B over budget,
low work process efficiency, screws fell off the telescope shield when shaken, no one
would share bad news/low team trust
What was Greg Robinson able to do for the James Webb Telescope? - Answers - he
was able to improve team trust with wise leadership; work process efficiency increased
and managers were more willing to share bad news; successful launch on christmas
day 2021
Difficult Conversation guide - Answers - Create a constructive climate for authentic
conversation; frame the conversation; state the issue; listen, discuss, resolve; agree on
action plan; close
Authority - Answers - power to influence or command
Sources of Authority - Answers - positive presence, confidence & courage, care for
humans, deep desire to help your team succeed, your technical and management
expertise, your position/title
What helped strengthen Greg robinson's sources of authority? - Answers - He would
sit with his colleagues during lunch; he cared about people and people were able to
share bad news with him
Satya Nadella relevance - Answers - Valued continued learning and a "growth
mindset"
5 learnings from Eugene Kranz's leadership - Answers - Pre-Crisis Planning, Mission-
Focus, Template for superior team (develop a competence standard),
Engage/Empower/Lead, Be Effective: use all tools.
How did Eugene Kranz's changes contribute to Apollo 13's safe return? - Answers -
Uniformity of decision making + seamless decision handoffs, minimized "us" vs. "them"
& sense of owning the position, strengthened focus on mission, full use of individual
capabilities
Google's Keys to an Effective Team (5) - Answers - Psychological Safety,
Dependability, Structure & Clarity, Meaning of Work, Impact of Work.
5 dysfunctions of a team - Answers - 1. Absence of trust
2. Fear of conflict
3. Lack of commitment
, 4. Avoidance of accountability
5. Inattention to results
How to prevent the 5 dysfunctions of a team - Answers - Establish vulnerability based
trust, encourage healthy conflict, earn commitment, foster peer to peer accountability,
focus on team results.
Leading Teams Note, Polzer: Sustained Effectiveness requires attention to 3
dimensions--what are these? - Answers - Quality of team's output, team members
abilities to increase their capacity to work together effectively over time, the extent to
which the team meets its members individual needs.
What 3 things should a manager consider when determining if a team is required? -
Answers - Task complexity, task interdependence, task objectives
What should a manager consider when choosing team members - Answers - Individual
Skills (IP and technical skills), Diversity, Leadership Arrangement
Process Losses - Answers - Process losses refer to reductions in group performance
due to problems of coordination, communication and motivation. Formal Team
processes can mitigate process losses.
What do effective virtual teams do? - Answers - establish common ground despite their
dispersed locations and/or cultures. Appropriate IT can help develop common ground
and improve virtual team interaction
5 Leadership Practices (kouzes & posner) - Answers - Model the Way, Inspire a
Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, Encourage the Heart
5 Functions of management - Answers - Plan, Organize, Staff, Direct, Control
(monitoring results vs. plan, corrective action/re-planning)
What is significant about Hubert Joly and Best Buy - Answers - Hubert Joly turned
Best Buy around by treating humans with dignity, added Purpose/meaning. He used
leadership tools to change oh the company was managed. His #1 tool was intrinsic
motivation.
Because of today's access to technology and the ever-changing market, how has the
role of a manager changed? (Based on The Leader as a Coach, HBR) - Answers - The
role of a manager is to be adaptive and primarily to be a coach. They can no longer
"command and control".
Based on The Leader as a Coach, HBR--what is the best type of coaching in their
outlined framework? - Answers - Situational Coaching, which refers to striking a fine
balance between directive and nondirective coaching.
540 Mission - Answers - To help you transition from being an engineering-trained
individual contributor to effectively managing and leading others.
What were the issues with the James Webb Telescope? - Answers - 5B over budget,
low work process efficiency, screws fell off the telescope shield when shaken, no one
would share bad news/low team trust
What was Greg Robinson able to do for the James Webb Telescope? - Answers - he
was able to improve team trust with wise leadership; work process efficiency increased
and managers were more willing to share bad news; successful launch on christmas
day 2021
Difficult Conversation guide - Answers - Create a constructive climate for authentic
conversation; frame the conversation; state the issue; listen, discuss, resolve; agree on
action plan; close
Authority - Answers - power to influence or command
Sources of Authority - Answers - positive presence, confidence & courage, care for
humans, deep desire to help your team succeed, your technical and management
expertise, your position/title
What helped strengthen Greg robinson's sources of authority? - Answers - He would
sit with his colleagues during lunch; he cared about people and people were able to
share bad news with him
Satya Nadella relevance - Answers - Valued continued learning and a "growth
mindset"
5 learnings from Eugene Kranz's leadership - Answers - Pre-Crisis Planning, Mission-
Focus, Template for superior team (develop a competence standard),
Engage/Empower/Lead, Be Effective: use all tools.
How did Eugene Kranz's changes contribute to Apollo 13's safe return? - Answers -
Uniformity of decision making + seamless decision handoffs, minimized "us" vs. "them"
& sense of owning the position, strengthened focus on mission, full use of individual
capabilities
Google's Keys to an Effective Team (5) - Answers - Psychological Safety,
Dependability, Structure & Clarity, Meaning of Work, Impact of Work.
5 dysfunctions of a team - Answers - 1. Absence of trust
2. Fear of conflict
3. Lack of commitment
, 4. Avoidance of accountability
5. Inattention to results
How to prevent the 5 dysfunctions of a team - Answers - Establish vulnerability based
trust, encourage healthy conflict, earn commitment, foster peer to peer accountability,
focus on team results.
Leading Teams Note, Polzer: Sustained Effectiveness requires attention to 3
dimensions--what are these? - Answers - Quality of team's output, team members
abilities to increase their capacity to work together effectively over time, the extent to
which the team meets its members individual needs.
What 3 things should a manager consider when determining if a team is required? -
Answers - Task complexity, task interdependence, task objectives
What should a manager consider when choosing team members - Answers - Individual
Skills (IP and technical skills), Diversity, Leadership Arrangement
Process Losses - Answers - Process losses refer to reductions in group performance
due to problems of coordination, communication and motivation. Formal Team
processes can mitigate process losses.
What do effective virtual teams do? - Answers - establish common ground despite their
dispersed locations and/or cultures. Appropriate IT can help develop common ground
and improve virtual team interaction
5 Leadership Practices (kouzes & posner) - Answers - Model the Way, Inspire a
Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, Encourage the Heart
5 Functions of management - Answers - Plan, Organize, Staff, Direct, Control
(monitoring results vs. plan, corrective action/re-planning)
What is significant about Hubert Joly and Best Buy - Answers - Hubert Joly turned
Best Buy around by treating humans with dignity, added Purpose/meaning. He used
leadership tools to change oh the company was managed. His #1 tool was intrinsic
motivation.
Because of today's access to technology and the ever-changing market, how has the
role of a manager changed? (Based on The Leader as a Coach, HBR) - Answers - The
role of a manager is to be adaptive and primarily to be a coach. They can no longer
"command and control".
Based on The Leader as a Coach, HBR--what is the best type of coaching in their
outlined framework? - Answers - Situational Coaching, which refers to striking a fine
balance between directive and nondirective coaching.
