Defining characteristic of process improvement teams

uestion

Week 3 quiz

Question 1

Which of the following is required for successful collaborative decision making?

Answers:

Taking a stand for one fixed option

Isolating stakeholders from the decision-making process

Considering yourself and the persons involved as one unit

Relying primarily on a logical approach to decision making

Question 2

According to Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats tool, teams wear the _____ hat to discuss the value and benefits of a particular idea or option.

Answers:

red

black

orange

yellow

Question 3

Carla is planning to use brainstorming in her next team meeting to generate new product ideas. In using brainstorming effectively, Carla should avoid:

Answers:

evaluating others’ ideas.

setting a time limit.

building on the ideas of others.

asking hypothetical questions in between.

Question 4

A few key employees of a company met to generate ideas to improve the company’s efficiency. After a brainstorming session, the ideas generated were scribed on some cards and spread out on a large desk. The employees then proceeded to organize related ideas into categories, and discussed the grouping till five manageable groups of ideas were created. Also, each group of ideas was given an appropriate title. Which of the following techniques of synthesizing brainstormed ideas has been applied in this scenario?

Answers:

Affinitizing

Pattern recognition

Broadbanding

Sequential differentiation

Question 5

Charlie, a production head at an automobile company, is reviewing along with his team the efficiency of the current production system. A few employees in his team have ideas about how the production cost can be reduced by modifying the assembly system. Which of the following statements made by Charlie would best act as an idea grower in this scenario?

Answers:

If the system is not broken, we do not have to fix it.

The current production system is good enough.

Though the current system is efficient, is it perfect?

You may want to change the current system, but what about the costs?

Question 6

_____ is best described as a process by which several possibilities are considered and prioritized, resulting in a clear choice of one option over others.

Answers:

Benchmarking

Decision making

Delegating

Pattern recognition

Question 7

Richard, a supplier of synthetic fabrics, is in a meeting with a customer. Richard had expected the customer to quote a good price for his product, but the customer quoted an unprofitable price. In this situation, which of the following statements would be most ineffective in getting Richard a good bargain?

Answers:

Could you explain the reasons for your price quotation?

I am upset about the price quoted for my product.

You are being unfair by quoting such a low price on the product.

I expect a better price for my product because of its superior quality.

Question 8

Which of the following is an ineffective practice during a negotiation process?

Answers:

Bargaining by focusing on positions rather than interests

Starting the negotiation with a relationship-based tone rather than on an adversarial note

Concentrating on problems rather than people when bargaining

Exploring all possibilities for solutions rather than quickly focusing on one fixed solution

Question 9

Which of the following is an ineffective practice during negotiations?

Answers:

Revisiting issues that have already been resolved

Disagreeing to terms that are not acceptable to you

Developing a frame based on both your needs and those of the other party

Using close-out questions to generate constructive discussions

Question 10

Alan and his business partner, Fred, have decided to end their joint venture. However, both parties have issues in dividing the resources of the company. They are prepared to resolve their conflicts through a third-party negotiator, provided the third party allows them to be actively involved in generating the solution. In this scenario, which of the following third-party negotiators will fail to meet Alan’s and Fred’s criterion?

Answers:

A mediator

A conciliator

A consultant

An arbitrator

Question 11

Two research teams at BioSure Pharmaceutical Inc. are in a conflict over the company’s scarce resources. Both teams share the same lab, tools, and sometimes even the personnel. The company’s finances are also proportionately distributed among the two teams. Due to some delay in one of the team’s work, both teams have been called for a mutual negotiation. In order to make the negotiation effective, the research teams should:

Answers:

adopt a clear win-lose attitude.

remain objective and avoid personalizing issues.

get into emotional debates and personal attacks with each other.

criticize the working style and personality traits of each other.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true about integrative bargaining strategies?

Answers:

Integrative bargaining works only when the relationship between both negotiating parties is expected to be short term.

In integrative bargaining, any one party achieves its primary objectives through skillful negotiation.

Negotiators in integrative bargaining typically take a competitive posture to dividing a fixed amount of resources.

For integrative bargaining to work, it is necessary to have a climate that supports and promotes open communication.

Question 13

Which of the following is an advantage typically associated with the accommodation strategy of conflict management?

Answers:

Both sides win

Energy free for other pursuits

Chance to win everything

Heightened self-assertion and possible self-esteem

Question 14

Ken and Tim realize that in order to resolve their conflict, it is better if they each get some of what they want instead of nothing. Ken and Tim manage their conflict using the _____ strategy.

Answers:

competing

compromising

accommodation

avoidance

Question 15

Integral Inc. coaches its employees to recognize that conflict is normal and not necessarily bad. This helps them to deal effectively with differing viewpoints and approaches, which can lead to innovation. Which organizational technique for preventing conflict is Integral using?

Answers:

Diversity training

Use of the collaborative strategy to deal with conflict

Conflict management and negotiation training

Employees’ involvement in decisions that affect them

Question 16

Using an accommodation strategy to resolve a conflict can:

Answers:

force people to work toward achieving their goals at all costs, even if it means sacrificing the relationships involved.

lead to a “lose-lose” scenario where goals may not be achieved, and the relationship may not progress beyond its current state.

teach people to accept that they cannot get their way at all times.

be harmful in the long term as resentment builds up over unmet needs.

Question 17

The three techniques that are particularly useful for avoiding conflicts through effective communication skills are using “I” language, paying attention to nonverbal cues, and:

Answers:

practicing the art of being silent.

accommodating others’ views.

communicating consequences.

using “you” language subtly.

Question 18

In the compromising strategy to resolve conflicts, a manager will:

agree to give up part of his or her goal and part of the relationship involved to reach an agreement.

work to achieve his or her goals at all costs, even if it means sacrificing the relationship involved.

choose not to deal with the issues or the people involved.

arrive at a solution that brings about an “I win, you lose” situation.

Question 19

Anne is perceived as a manager who alienates and discourages others from working with her. As a result, there is a possibility of potentially large scale conflicts in the future. Which conflict management strategy is being adopted by Anne?

Answers:

Competition

Avoidance

Accommodation

Compromise

Question 20

In the storming stage of team development, the team members:

Answers:

may disband permanently or take a temporary break.

will not know each other and even if they do, there is a feeling of uncertainty and tentativeness.

have a sense of belongingness and a sense of relief that everything will work out.

have feelings such as resistance to the task or approach being taken by the group and anger about roles and responsibilities.

Question 21

A team set up by Zendon Inc. to design a new product in the U.S. office space consists of members from the organization’s marketing, finance, research and development, planning, and operations. The team derives its strength from diversity and ensures that all relevant points of view are considered. Such a team would best be described as a(n):

Answers:

offshore ISD team.

virtual team.

cross-functional team.

process improvement team.

Question 22

_____ takes place when members who are part of a group agree to a more unsafe course of action than any individual would have alone.

Answers:

Groupthink

Social loafing

Group-hate

Risky shift

Question 23

High-performance teams are characterized by:

Answers:

members with only individual accountability.

members with specialty skills rather than people skills.

extensive communication mechanisms.

an optimal team size of 15 to 20.

Question 24

A team member can become distracted by a work or personal problem that prevents him or her from following through on commitments made to the team. This team member is best described as a(n):

Answers:

absentee member.

social loafer.

procrastinator.

arbitrator.

Question 25

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of process improvement teams?

Answers:

They are permanent and are retained even after the process being studied has been changed to the satisfaction of the management.

They operate across time, space, and organizational boundaries using means other than face-to-face meetings.

They consist of groups of employees who are responsible for a complete, self-contained package of responsibilities that relate to a final product.

They focus on specific methods, operations, or procedures and are assembled with the specific goal of enhancing a particular component being studied.