Success of tactful teams in business

Question 1

For tactical teams to be successful, there must be ________ and ________.

 

a high degree of task clarity;   unambiguous role definition

 

the freedom to innovate; the ability   to question assumptions

 

ambiguous problems; limited emphasis   on formal organizational structures

 

the ability to think out of the box;   the ability to work remotely

Question 2

The dominant feature of tactical teams is ________; the dominant feature of problem-solving teams is ________; the dominant feature of creative teams is ________.

 

clarity; trust; autonomy

 

trust; clarity; autonomy

 

expertise; training; communication

 

training; expertise; communication

Question 3

The misattribution error is the tendency for managers to attribute the causes of team failure to forces beyond their personal control. According to that definition, which of the following is a misattribution error? Blaming an unsuccessful outcome on:

 

lack of knowledge.

 

the competitive   environment/marketplace.

 

lack of preparation.

 

low motivation.

Question 4

Unless companies and managers take the time to understand the different work and value systems of different generations of workers, multigenerational teams will work under frustrating conditions. Values that should be considered when composing a team of different generational members include the importance of family, team versus individual orientation, achievement orientation and:

 

the person’s negotiation skills.

 

the number of contacts the person has   in their social network.

 

how well the person understands the   corporate culture of the team.

 

the person’s need for feedback,   attention, and coaching.

Question 5

With regard to the question of team size (i.e., how big the team should be), all of the following are true EXCEPT:

 

larger teams are more cohesive, and   want to stay together.

 

it is wise to compose teams using the   smallest number of people who can do the task.

 

managers tend to make teams too   large.

 

most of the time, teams should be   fewer than 10 members

Question 6

To be successful in the long run, teams need ongoing resources and support, information, education, and:

 

competition amongst team members and   an unaligned incentive structure.

 

goals and good communication skills.

 

regular team building retreats.

 

an authoritarian manager.

Question 7

Managers frequently fault the wrong causes for team failure. Often, what is the real key causal factor in underperforming teams?

 

The difficult personalities on the   team

 

The manager’s talent acquiring team   resources

 

External, uncontrollable forces, such   as market competition

 

Faulty team design

Question 8

With regard to the disadvantages of self-directing teams, all of the following are true EXCEPT:

 

the team can suffer from   marginalization and struggle with team legitimacy.

 

teams of this type can be very costly   to build.

 

the team can suffer from conforming   too much to team leaders.

 

it is difficult to monitor the team’s   progress.

Question 9

In contrast to a team, a working group differs from a team because:

 

the working team relies on their   manager’s social network for success.

 

the working team members have   collective responsibilities and rewards for their production outcome.

 

the working team members are not   interdependent and are not working toward a shared goal.

 

the working group members are   interdependent.

Question 10

One of the most frustrating aspects of teamwork is:

 

sustaining high motivation.

 

ineffective leadership.

 

not being able to select one’s   preferred team members.

 

a high level of turnover.

Question 11

A cardiac surgery team is an example of a ________ team; the Sandia Nuclear Weapons laboratory team is an example of a ________ team.

 

tactical; creative

 

problem-solving; creative

 

tactical; problem-solving