Managing High Performance Teams

Managing High Performance Teams1. When it comes to how a team is designed (i.e., members, communication, goals, norms, etc.) and team leadership, which of the following statements is most true based upon the studies from the Xerox customer-service teams?a. For optimal performance, it is more important to have a well-designed team than a team with a good leaderb. For optimal performance, it is more important to have an excellent leader than a well-designed teamc. Both team design and leadership are equally importantd. Well-designed teams tend to sabotage leaders2. Clearly-defined goals are the essence of great teamwork. Which of the following statements is most true about how goals should be articulated by teams:a. Goals should not be clearly articulated; rather members should be free to interpret them creativelyb. Goals should be complex and contain several objectivesc. Goals should be simple and specify ends, but not meansd. Goals should be simple, and specify means, but not end3. A cardiac surgery team is an example of a _____ team; the Sandia Nuclear Weapons laboratory team is an example of a _____ team.a. Problem-solving; creativeb. Tactical; creativec. Problem-solving; tacticald. Tactical; problem-solving4. The dominant feature of tactical teams is _____; the dominant feature of problem-solving teams is _____; the dominant feature of creative teams is: _____.a. Expertise, training; communicationb. Training; expertise; communicationc. Trust; clarity; autonomyd. Clarity; trust; autonomy5. There are many types of interdependence in a team. A team of people selling cookies and then combining their total profits is an example of __________; a team of people on an assembly line making an automobile is an example of __________.a. Pooled interdependence; sequential interdependenceb. Pooled interdependence; reciprocal interdependencec. Cooperative interdependence; competitive interdependenced. Tactical interdependence; problem-solving interdependence6. With regard to the question of team size (i.e., how big the team should be), all of the following are true, except:a. Most of the time, teams should be fewer than 10 membersb. Managers tend to make teams too largec. It is wise to compose teams using the smallest number of people who can do the taskd. Larger teams are more cohesive and want to stay together7. When selecting members for a team, certain skills are very important. These skills are best described as:a. Technical skills and interpersonal skillsb. Analytical and intuitive skillsc. Cognitive and emotional skillsd. Mental and physical skills8. In a diverse team, a “fault-line”? refers to:a. Cases in which a team tends to find fault or blame in the other team members rather than their own behaviorb. Cases in which group members fall into two distinct, non-overlapping subgroups, usually based on demographic characteristics (such as male vice-presidents and female clerical workers)c. Cases in which group members make more extreme judgments of demographically dissimilar group members than is actually warrantedd. Cases in which a homogenous group does not allow a diverse member to join the group9. Creating diverse teams is a challenge. All of the following are important steps to include in a plan for bringing diversity to a team, except:a. The organization should publicly commit to valuing diversityb. The organization should solicit ideas and best practices on how to diversifyc. The organization should educate members on the advantages of diversityd. The organization should build diversity at the lowest, entry levels of the organization, rather than at the governing level10. Norms are the unwritten rules that specify appropriate and expected behavior in teams. Which of the following statements is most true about norms in a team?a. It is best to not impose norms of behavior on a team, but rather, empower the team to develop its own norms over timeb. Norms take time to develop in a team and emerge slowly as the team maturesc. Many norms develop within the first few minutes of a team’s first meetingd. The most competent and respected individuals dictate the norms for the team11. Base pay is a person’s regular salary that differs from variable pay. Base pay is based on:a. Internal equity (job evaluation) and external equity (market data)b. How well the company is doing per the stock market and other financial indicatorsc. Government-determined standards, akin to minimum waged. The quality of one’s education and experience as reported on a resume12. Recognition is considered one type of team-based pay. Recognition is best described as:a. An opportunity to single out the best performer in a teamb. A monetary award of at least $2500c. A percentage of corporate profits given to the highest performing teams on an annual basisd. A one-time award for a team performing well beyond expectations or for completing a project, program, or product13. When it comes to incentive pay and giving rewards, which of the following is most true?a. Rewarding results is more important than rewarding behavior (e.g., effort)b. Rewarding behavior (e.g., effort) is more important than rewarding resultsc. Rewarding competencies can be very effectived. It is best to not offer rewards so as not to create confusion14. In profit-sharing plans:a. A cash award is given on a yearly basisb. A non-cash award is given on a yearly basisc. A portion of the bottom-line economic profits is given to employees based on equality (everyone) or equity (performance)d. A portion of the bottom-line economic profits is given to employees based on need (as determined by base income)15. Which type of performance appraisal is best used with teams?a. Skill-based payb. Job-based payc. Competency-based payd. They are all used for team performance appraisals