Exam 10: Enhancing Group and Team Performance

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.

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

Once Parul's group had decided the best topic for their presentation, Parul assigned Carson to do research on the topic and Millie to interview the college dean. Which step in the reflective-thinking process does this exemplify?

One way to describe groupthink is logical consensus.

Which of the following is TRUE of consensus?

What is consensus? Identify and explain three strategies that group members can use to achieve a consensus.

Define and give examples of metadiscussion.

Describe the situational approach to leadership.

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 _____.

_____ refers to the generation, application, combination, and extension of new ideas.

Koresh's group was considering how to approach the general topic of meth labs in their panel discussion. Some wanted to discuss the problem on a national scale, but Koresh wanted to limit the topic to what was happening within the local area only. They had been arguing this for some time, and group members were getting frustrated. Finally, Sam suggested that they use a chalkboard, and make a written list of the pros and cons of each option. They did this, and it became clear that the best choice would be to limit the topic to the local area. Which function did Sam suggest for his group?

The three primary strategies groups can use to reach a consensus include all of the following EXCEPT _____.

Identify and explain the eight steps used in brainstorming. Which step is the most important and why?

Human differences which are easily visible to us, such as differences in age or race are examples of _____-level diversity.

The traits approach to leadership suggests that when we become leaders, we begin to develop traits that will help us to learn better ways to lead.

Force field analysis is an effective tool for identifying the problem.

When a group first gets together, it needs to determine what it is going to do. In other words, it needs to determine the group's _____.

What is nominal group technique?

Gloria is a leader who leads by developing a shared vision and uses listening and relationship-building skills to create a climate of trust. Which type of leader is Gloria?

Which of these techniques does the text suggest as a way to help clarify a problem?