Exam 10: Enhancing Group and Team Performance

Alfredo was leading a group recently in which most of the group members agreed with one of the major decisions,but that decision was not unanimously supported.There was,however,enough agreement in the end that the decision was supported by all members.This is an example of a(n)_____.

One of the functions of a gatekeeper is to encourage quiet people in the group to speak up and discourage long-winded ones.

The key to brainstorming is to praise each suggestion as it is made to encourage members to keep participating.

Compare and contrast trait,functional,styles,situational,and transformational group leadership and give an example of each.

Vigilant thinkers pay attention to the structure of the problem-solving group.

A results-driven structure for group work means the group should identify a goal.

A leader who guides and facilitates discussion rather than dominating it demonstrates which style of leadership?

A technique that can be used to clarify the problem is _____.

Identifying and defining the problem includes a discussion of who is harmed by the problem,and when the harmful effects occur.

Consensus is reached when a majority of the group votes in favor of a proposal.

_____ is the generation,application,combination,and extension of ideas.

Which of the following can be valuable in evaluating the pros and cons of solutions that have been generated?

The number of people who must be present at a meeting in order to conduct business is a(n)_____.

Al's group has been discussing a solution to a problem for several days.By the end of the discussions,however,not everyone agreed with the final decision,but they all decided that they would accept it.This means that they arrived at a consensus.

Jake's communication teacher had just assigned groups for a problem-solving discussion project.After briefly introducing themselves,Jake's group quickly began talking over the topic they would select.Charise suggested,"Let's just discuss alcohol abuse on campus;there is lots of information available,and we all know someone it applies to." Jeremy piped in,"Yes,let's do.Why waste time haggling over topics? Let's just get on with it." Jake replied,"Why don't we hold off deciding until we think of some additional topics.That way,we'll have several to choose from and we can compare them." Which function is Jake suggesting for his group?

Which approach to leadership is an interactive process in which factors such as culture,time limitations,group member personalities,and the work that the group needs to do are considered in the selection of an appropriate leadership style to choose?

Which of the following is discussed as a cause of groupthink?

Pat's group is trying to come up with ideas and has decided to have a meeting in order to think of as many ideas as possible.This example illustrated groupthink.

You are an upperclassman working with a faculty member in your major discipline.You and the faculty member have been discussing how to help freshmen succeed in their classes.One of the pieces of information that your professor keeps bringing up is that students should spend at least three hours studying outside of class for each hour they spend in class.This amounts to nine hours a week for a typical three-hour course.To that end,you decide to construct a force field analysis on that idea to see how you might help freshmen improve.Construct a force field analysis on the topic described in the story.Once you have constructed the analysis,write a brief statement explaining what strategies you might take to help motivate students to study more.

Briefly define the difference between authoritarian,democratic,and laissez-faire leadership styles.