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Chapter 10 Self-Assessment: Working in Groups From sports to school to work to civic involvement, working in teams is increasingly part of our experience. Even though teams are frequently used to get work done, people still have widely varying opinions of their value. Think of your own situation. When a professor divides the class into groups to complete a project, do you respond with an inward smile or a heavy sigh? Do you enjoy team projects, or would you rather just do your own work? The following 20-question survey assesses your thoughts about working in teams. Indicate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements. Try not to spend too much time on any one item, and be sure to record your answers to all the questions. Use this scale for your responses: 1. Strongly disagree 2. Disagree 3. Slightly disagree 4. Neutral 5. Slightly agree 6. Agree 7. Strongly agree 1. Only those who depend on themselves get ahead in life. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2. To be superior, a person must stand alone. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 3. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 4. What happens to me is my own doing. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 5. In the long run, the only person you can count on is yourself. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6. Winning is everything. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7. I feel that winning is important in both work and games. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Success is the most important thing in life. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9. It annoys me when other people perform better than I do.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10. Doing your best isn’t enough; it is important to win. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11. I prefer to work with others in a group rather than working alone. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12. Given the choice, I would rather do a job where I can work alone rather than doing a job where I have to work with others in a group. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13. Working with a group is better than working alone. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 14. People should be made aware that if they are going to be part of a group, then they are sometimes going to have to do things they don’t want to do. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 15. People who belong to a group should realize that they’re not always going to get what they personally want. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 16. People in a group should realize that they sometimes are going to have to make sacrifices for the sake of the group as a whole. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 17. People in a group should be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the group’s well-being. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 18. A group is more productive when its members do what they want to do rather than what the group wants them to do. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 19. A group is most efficient when its members do what they think is best rather than doing what the group wants them to do. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 20. A group is more productive when its members follow their own interests and desires. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Scoring

Determine your score by entering your response to each survey item below, as follows. In blanks that say regular score, simply enter your response for that item. If your response was a 3, place a 3 in the regular score blank. In blanks that say reverse score, subtract your response from 8 and enter the result. So, if your response was a 3, place a 5 (8 – 3 = 5) in the reverse score blank. 1. reverse score _____ 2. reverse score _____ 3. reverse score _____ 4. reverse score _____ 5. reverse score _____ 6. reverse score _____ 7. reverse score _____ 8. reverse score _____ 9. reverse score _____ 10. reverse score _____ 11. regular score _____ 12. reverse score _____ 13. regular score _____ 14. regular score _____ 15. regular score _____ 16. regular score _____ 17. regular score _____ 18. reverse score _____ 19. reverse score _____ 20. reverse score _____ TOTAL = _____ Interpreting the Score Here is what your score means. Your score indicates your level of individualism-collectivism. As you read in the chapter, individualism-collectivism is the degree to which a person believes that people should be self- sufficient and that loyalty to one’s self is more important than loyalty to one’s team or company.

Individualists, who put their welfare and interests first, generally prefer independent tasks in which they work alone. In contrast, collectivists, who put group or team interests ahead of self- interests, generally prefer interdependent tasks in which they work with others.

Collectivists would also rather cooperate than compete and are fearful of disappointing team members or of being ostracized from teams. Given these differences, it makes sense to select team members who are collectivists rather than individualists.

So, how high was your total score? Higher scores indicate a stronger attitude of collectivism, and lower scores indicate a stronger tendency toward individualism. Source: J. A. Wagner, “Studies of Individualism-Collectivism: Effects on Cooperation in Groups,” Academy of Management Journal 38, no. 1 (1995): 152–172.