SM GROUP 16 CH 8,9,10,11 Small Group Final

A decision taken by just more than half the number of people in a group or team is called a

supermajority

In which phase is a person not expected to say or do anything that might result in the group rejecting that person?

Orientation

The stage at which task and process dimensions are interwoven is called

emergence

Which kind of tension occurs when clear group role expectations have not emerged and well-defined social norms are not developed?

Primary

Which of the following is marked by overcoming the equilibrium of inertia and is punctuated by a burst of activity?

Breakpoint

Which phase is characterized by positive feelings toward the group and its decisions?

Reinforcement

Which activity is classified into three types such as activities that focus on the problem, activities that serve executive functions, and solution activities?

Task-process

Which type of approach emphasizes that members of effective groups perform certain task requirements when they communicate with one another?

Functional

Which type of activity manages relationships and helps maintain the group climate?

Relational

Which type of approach provides specific recommendations for sequencing certain types of communication in a group?

Prescriptive

A group is working on a development project at an organization under the guidance of their team leader. Based on accumulated facts, the group had been asked to evaluate a circumstance. Thereafter, the group realized it was time to settle and move forward. What step of group decision-making does this scenario describe?

Analyze the decision to be made

The group members at Lovren Macros reached a decision by exchanging their perceptions and resolving all the conflicts between group members.

Which method of the group decision-making process does this scenario describe?

Decision by consensus

A promotional campaign was conducted to publicize a company's new product line. The group members who ran the campaign had diverse opinions on what the campaign stood for, and they did not follow a particular structure during their discussions. This resulted in ineffectual outcomes.

Which barrier to group problem solving were they facing?

Lack of planning

Suri, a team leader at Cruilmes, Inc., always stressed to her colleagues that the key to achieving a team's objective involved communicating with each other in such a manner that the primary goals were effectively accomplished. She wanted her team to perform specific task prerequisites while communicating with another, in order to maximize productivity.

Which approach to group problem solving did Suri employ?

Functional approach

A facility manager in an organization planned to purchase machinery and equipment. Although there were multiple providers in the market, he directly approached one provider, asked about the cost and other details, and placed the order.

Was the manager's decision an effective one? Justify your answer.

No; since the manager did not consider other alternatives

1. The HR managers of Patterson Inc. conducted a meeting to discuss annual raises for the company's employees. Based on each employee's performance as evaluated by the team leaders, the HR managers decided on the percent increase that employee would get. Since the team leaders were busy with work schedules, the HR managers allocated raises for employees as per their understanding.

Did the HR managers face any barrier in this scenario? If so, which one?

Yes; wrong people present

Jenny, a new employee, was assigned to a project with several people from different countries. She was not able to mingle appropriately with the team members due to cultural differences, and this adversely affected her performance and productivity.

What strategy can Jenny use to resolve her conflict?

Develop mindfulness

A supervisor needed to discuss work-focused relationships with her colleagues to try to find and resolve any conflicts happening at the office. Therefore, she encouraged everyone to share their ideas with one other. According to the multi-sequence model, what type of activity did the supervisor follow?

Relational

Suri, a group member, is asked to identify various possible strategies for a specific task. Also, she is told to analyze the pros and cons of each strategy.

What step of the group decision-making process is Suri currently in?

Rationally evaluate the positive and negative consequences of alternatives

Dawn has been practicing acupuncture for 20 years and has been running the practice along with several more junior practitioners. She is always reading up on new therapies and is the best member of the group to discuss new procedures with. If Dawn makes a decision that everyone else in the practice supports and agrees to, then what method of group decision making did the group follow?

Decision by expert in group

A four-member team failed to achieve their objective for a development project. The manager asked them to revise the project and gave them a month to finish the task. Instead of finding the cause for their failure, the team applied the trial and error method to make the project successful.

What barrier to team problem solving did the group face in this scenario?

Lack of problem-solving skill

A company management decided to study the problem-solving processes in their organization. The intention was to identify any problems in the company's current processes. Which approach to problem solving should management adopt?

Descriptive

Amar, a group member, figured out multiple approaches to the problem his team was facing. He also identified the merits of implementing each approach in order to develop a high-quality solution. Finally, he decided on the option that stood to benefit the most members.

Which function of problem solving illustrates Amar's actions?

Assess the positive features of the alternatives

A group member always keeps herself up-to-date and in group discussions comes up with creative suggestions that lead to high quality solutions. Which type of communication function does this group member's action describe?

Idea generation

As a member of a team that consists of people from different cultures, Sheela adapted by modifying her behavior according to the perceptions and assumptions of fellow members.

What strategy did Sheela follow to counter cultural differences?

Be flexible

Which process is used as a description of the way people solve their problems rather than as an ideal pattern for all groups to solve problems?

Reflective thinking

What helps group members manage the disorderliness of group discussions?

Group structure

_____ is the final step of group problem-solving exercises.

Implementing

Which tool provides a necessary structure to the process of implementing a solution by reducing uncertainty and also ensures that everybody is knows what needs to be done?

Action chart

Which technique used by group members involves writing down the answers to specific pertinent questions in the process of scrutinizing a problem and shares their responses one at a time?

Is/is not analysis

Which reflective thinking tool describes the reason, the basis, or the rate of recurrence of the problem?

Pareto charts

Which tool is used by a group to examine the objective by noticing what driving forces make it possible to be realized and what restrictive forces make it unlikely to be attained?

Force-field analysis

Formulating ________ is a necessary task of the reflective thinking process; they refer to standards or objectives for an adequate solution

criteria

Which technique is used for helping groups and teams recognize and examine big issues that affect the group or organization and can be useful in categorizing the issues in the order of internal as well as external factors that influence them?

SWOT Analysis

Which problem-solving approach is characterized by its simplicity and enables group members to reach a solution by answering a set of questions pertaining to the problem?

Ideal-solution format

To be efficient and effective, roles in a group should be classified and the group members should ________ to help them stay focused on a common goal or objectives. This should be done before reaching a decision that affects the entire group.

share information

A group was formed to handle problem-solving processes in an organization. After devising a list of questions, the group tried to answer those questions in a sequential order to identify appropriate resolutions.

What type of question-oriented approach does the group follow?

a) Ideal-solution format

A team of selected members was discussing how to increase the market value of their organization's products. Although the team discussed various measures, it kept shifting focus rather than drilling down on just one. A few members even started chatting about unrelated topics. Briana, the most outspoken member of the group, dominated the entire discussion.

What does this group need to do to keep the discussion on track, and why?

Introduce structure in the team; so that discussions do not digress and the team follows proper problem-solving techniques

Because the organization continued to face a crisis in marketing their new product, a team of experts was called in. They started their analysis by charting the potential reasons and verified their comparative influence by using data and relevant evidence.

Which method of problem analysis best describes the team's approach?

Fishbone diagram

Global Pictures is about to release their second feature film. Their first film was a blockbuster, and their pre-release campaigns played a pivotal role. This time, Global Pictures wants to attract an even larger audience and at the same time to minimize the campaign cost. A team of publicity experts is planning to meet so that they can come up with an effective strategy. In this scenario, which task should they primarily focus on, and why?

Formulate criteria; so that the group members know the group goal and when it has developed a good solution

Since Croners Inc. was facing internal conflicts that adversely affected its overall business performance, management hired a group to help work on finding some solutions. The group analyzed the problems the company was having by concentrating on the specific instances related to the problem. Also, they evaluated the situation where the problem occurred the most.

In this scenario, what technique does the group follows?

Is/is not analysis

A problem-solving group was called to help resolve a recent business conflict. The group performed critical research and identified the source of the problem. Based on what they found, the group followed a certain process to resolve the issue. In which phase of the problem-solving process is the group currently?

Define the problem

A group is asked to compile a list of possible approaches that can contribute to the successful resolution of a problem and to gauge the benefits and challenges of each approach. In this scenario, in which step of the problem-solving is the group currently?

Evaluating the solutions

A leader performs certain tasks such as guiding his group members' discussions by providing a list of questions, explaining to them the importance of the approaches for problem-solving, and making them work in a collaborative approach.

What approaches is the leader trying to apply?

Single question and ideal-solution format

If a group considers high quality contributions at the initial phase of the group's discussion and believes that sharing relevant data among the group members will result in a better group performance, which factor does the belief of the group signify?

Need for interaction

A group devised a list of questions related to a problem and attempted to answer them as a part of the problem-solving process.

In this scenario, the group was at which phase of the problem-solving process?

Identify and define the problem

A group wholeheartedly worked on problem-solving processes starting with detecting and describing the problem, followed by examining and evaluating the best solution to resolve it. The group also figured out the reason, source, and frequency of the problem.

What tool does the group use at the first phase?

Pareto charts

If a group requires breaking a problem into sub-components for scrutinizing it with the gathered information and facts in order to get the best solution, then what tool best suits the group's need?

Cause-and-effect diagram

Clash Inc. hired a group of six members to handle problem-solving processes. After finding multiple solutions to the problem, the members assessed each solution individually. Then, they compared the assessments to reach the best solution.

In this scenario, which tool best suits the group's need?

Average rankings and ratings

While implementing a solution, the problem-solving team at Avant Garde Corp. used a certain tool to outline the required functions and assigned those functions to respective members. This process ensured that every member was clear on the objectives and what was expected of them.

Which crucial tool did the team use?

Action chart

_________ is the production, application, blending, and expansion of novel ideas.

Creativity

____________ broadens the concept of creativity by converting a creative idea into something that is put into practice.

Innovation

___________ can be overcome by the method called tick-tock.

Stinking thinking

Some ideas may flow better if people are inspired to use images rather than text to advance creative ideas. This method is called

brainsketching

Which method is reliant on the concept that once an individual's idea is presented to a group, it can be altered by any member of that group

Piggybacking

_________ brainstorming is specifically helpful when conflict within the group prevents effective communication, or when time and distance restraints make it difficult for group members to come together.

Absentee

Which method can be performed with all group members in the same room or computer lab or with members at their own home or office computer??

Electronic brainstorming

Which method for enhancing group and team creativity is used to categorize and organize the ideas generated by a group?

Affinity technique

Which method for enhancing group and team creativity is characterized by group members sharing the ideas in writing or via e-mail, without meeting face-to-face?

Delphi technique

Because she is the team leader, Emma asked her group to write down ideas about how to approach their new project. She took the time to go through all the ideas, only to find out that most were similar in nature. Which technique would have helped her to simplify the situation?

Affinity technique

Anna started renting a new office near a busy railway station. It was spacious enough to accommodate all her employees comfortably, however, the creativity of the team declined. They said that the constant noise was the main cause. Which barrier to group creativity is her team facing?

Poor physical surrounding

The company came up with a new technique where its employees can share their ideas by typing them into a computer keyboard, and they will then be displayed to everyone. What is this technique called?

Electronic brainstorming

To elicit ideas from the introvert members of the team, Alicia adopted a method where she asked everyone to write down their ideas. What is this technique called?

The nominal-group technique

The director of an advertising agency set up a playroom for the employees. The playroom had toys such as modeling clay, rubber band-powered airplanes, etc. This enhanced the creativity of the team. Which principle did the director adopt?

Foster a climate of freedom

There are people in a group who often give negative statements whenever someone comes up with an idea. This definitely discourages the group from thinking of concepts and sharing new possibilities. Which barrier to group and team creativity is the team facing?

Stinking thinking

Adriana has a team of twenty-two people. While sharing ideas, it is always a challenge for her to get equal participation from the group members. What barrier to group and team creativity is the team facing?

Too many people

After getting all the ideas from the team members, the leader researched the Internet and tried to find more information on how the ideas could be used. Which phase of developing creative ideas is this?

Development phase

Sometimes group members hesitate to give ideas, as they fear they will be criticized. What kind of barrier to group creativity is this?

Premature evaluation of ideas

The teacher had a list of words. When the class was going through a brainstorming session, she called out words from the list at regular intervals. Which technique was she using?

Random-word technique

Since all the members on the team were new, everyone was hesitant to share their ideas. No one wanted to look bad in front of the team leader. Which technique would help them represent their ideas, and why?

Electronic brainstorming; because it ensures the anonymity of the contributing team member

Due to lack of appreciation and criticism of most of their ideas, the introvert team members often shy away from participating whereas the extroverts start to dominate. Which technique should a team leader adopt to make sure that there is equal participation, and why?

Nominal-group technique; because people are more comfortable sharing their ideas when they have a written script

Infovision Inc. has a blend of employees from all over the world, but the team leaders often find it difficult to cope with the racial intolerance within the teams. Management believes they have a perfect assortment of diverse employees, however, and so they are not interested in making any changes. This makes the situation for the team leaders harder as the conflicts within the teams keep increasing. What can the team leaders do to lessen this? Justify your answer.

Reverse brainstorm; so that the implications of doing the opposite of the proposed solution could be assessed

Out of the ten members of the team, two were from China. Whenever there were any discussions, the Chinese members would shy away and not participate. This happened because initially others dominated them. Which principle should the team leader keep in mind to ensure participation from everyone on the team?

Listen to minority point of view