Individuals, Groups & Teams

Question 1

Personality is…

Answer 1

…the total pattern of characteristic ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that constitute the individual’s distinctive method of relating to the environment

Question 2

2 broad concepts in describing personality:

Answer 2

1. Traits

2. Types

Question 3

Personality should be compatible with work requirements in 3 ways:

Answer 3

1. Task
2. Systems & management culture
3. Personalities in the team

Question 4

Where personality incompatibilities occur, the manager has 3 options:

Answer 4

1. Restore compatibility
2. Achieve compromise
3. Remove incompatible person

Question 5

Perception is…

Answer 5

…the psychological process by which stimuli or in-coming sensory data are selected and organised into patterns which are meaningful to the individual

Question 6

Perception may be determined by any or all of the following 4 factors:

Answer 6

1. Context
2. Nature of the stimuli
3. Internal factors (hungry - pick the smell of food)
4. Fear / trauma (too painful to see)

Question 7

An attitude is…

Answer 7

…a mental state exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all objects and situations with which it is related

Question 8

Intelligence is wider than IQ. It includes (5) attributes such as:

Answer 8

1. Analytical intelligence
2. Spatial intelligence (patterns and connections)
3. Practical intelligence
4. Intra-personal intelligence (Self-aware; stress)
5. Inter-personal intelligence (empathy; co-operation)

Question 9

Role Theory: (5)

Answer 9

1. Role set (Group who respond to you in a role)
2. Role ambiguity (Don’t know your role)
3. Role incompatibility / conflict (2 roles at once)
4. Role signs (Indicate the role you are in)
5. Role models (Aspire to be like)

Question 10

A group is…

Answer 10

…any collection of people who perceive themselves to be a group (sense of identity)

Question 11

Groups are different from crowds in 3 ways:

Answer 11

1. Sense of identity
2. Loyalty to the group
3. Purpose & leadership

Question 12

A team is…

Answer 12

…a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves basically accountable

Question 13

Teams are particularly well-adapted to 4 purposes:

Answer 13

1. Work organisation
2. Control
3. Ideas generation
4. Decision making

Question 14

Potential drawbacks associated with teams include: (7)

Answer 14

1. Not suitable for all jobs
2. Introduced for better performance, NOT to feel better or more secure
3. Delay decision making; compromise decision not right decision
4. Social relationships at the expense of performance
5. Restrict personality & flair
6. ‘Group think’ - Ill-considered decisions
7. Personality clashes & political behaviour

Question 15

Multi-disciplinary teams contain…

Answer 15

…people from different departments

Question 16

Multi-skilled teams contain…

Answer 16

…people who themselves have more than 1 skill

Question 17

Belbin’s team roles: A distinction is needed between:

Answer 17

1. Team (process) role

2. Functional role

Question 18

Belbin identifies 9 team roles:

Answer 18

1. Plant (Solves)
2. Resource investigator (Explores)
3. Coordinator (chairman: clarifies)
4. Shaper (Drive & courage)
5. Monitor-Evaluator (Sees all options)
6. Team worker (Listens, builds, averts, calms)
7. Implementer (company worker: Ideas into action)
8. Completer-Finisher (Searches out errors)
9. Specialist (Skills in rare supply)

Question 19

Rackham & Morgan developed categorisation of contributions people make to team discussion & decision-making: (9)

Answer 19

1. Proposing
2. Supporting
3. Seeking information
4. Giving information
5. Blocking, difficulty stating
6. Shutting out behaviour
7. Bringing in behaviour
8. Testing understanding
9. Summarising

Question 20

Tuckman’s stages of group development:

Answer 20

1. Forming
2. Storming
3. Norming
4. Performing
   (5. Dorming (Complacent)
5. Mourning / Adjourning)

Question 21

3 main issues in team building:

Answer 21

1. Team identity
2. Team solidarity
3. Shared objectives

Question 22

Ways to reinforce Team identity: (5)

Answer 22

1. Team name
2. Badges or uniform
3. Self-image (jargon)
4. Mythology (Classic mistakes)
5. Separate space

Question 23

Ways to reinforce Team solidarity: (5)

Answer 23

1. Expressing solidarity
2. Encourage interpersonal relationships
3. Deal with conflict
4. Control competition
5. Encourage competition with other groups

Question 24

Criteria for team effectiveness: (3)

Answer 24

1. Task performance
2. Team functioning
3. Team member satisfaction

Question 25

Reward schemes which focus on team performance: (3)

Answer 25

1. Profit sharing 2. Gain sharing 3. Employee share option