400 word observations

Mid-Term Exam: Short Answer/ Essay Questions:

LDRS 330 SP 2021

Please follow each chapter questions and answer the number of questions in each chapter required. You will answer a total of 12 of the following questions and answer in a short essay (should be 1-3 paragraphs for each answer)

Please, when you answer a question, put the corresponding number of the question with the number of the answer. For example, if you answer number 1, put the number 1 to start your answer etc.

Feel free to use course material and other resources. Some questions have at least 2 or 3 parts to the question. Make sure you answer each part within the question, where you will provide an answer from the textbook, but then do some application components to the question.

Chapter 1: (please answer this question)

1. Compare and Contrast a work group, a team, and a self-managing team in terms of power, leadership, decision making and activities or tasks. Then can you provide an example of each of these categories (workgroup, a team, a self-managing team) and share how power/ leadership/ decision making and activities are played out in these examples?

A work group is part of the organization's hierarchy, controlled by a manager/supervisor, with authoritarian or consultative decision-making, and independent activities. In contrast, a team is linked to the organization's hierarchy, with some shift of power to team; the leader has limited managerial power; decision-making is consultative, democratic, or by consensus; and activities are interdependent and coordinated by the team leader. Compared to the work group and team, the self-managing team has increasing use of power and independence, although it is still linked to the organization's hierarchy. The self-managing team leader is selected by its members, and decision-making is democratic or by consensus. The activities or tasks are highly interdependent and coordinated by team members.

Chapter 2: (please answer question 2, And then EITHER 3 or 4)

2. What are the three criteria used to define team success? Can you after you define these characteristics of team success, provide specific examples from real teams and groups and how they have defined success or pursued success? What are the potential problems with defining success in these three ways, or some of the benefits of these definitions?

The three criteria used to define team success are; task completion, social relations, and individual benefit. First, task completion defines team success because success is measured on the basis of how the team managed to accomplish their projects. Next is social relations and the more robust relationships are in within the team, the more likely the team will become successful.

Finally, team success can be defined by individual benefit. Individual benefit shows how each member in the group attains his/her goals within the team. If the members achieve their objectives individually, then the team is successful. For example, teams in Microsoft company are successful because they keep strong bonds with each other and reason from the same ground and often complete their assigned tasks effectively. The potential problems with defining success in these three ways include; lack of support from the top management, and lack of alignment in the corporation to project success criteria during the stage of execution.

3. What are the five characteristics of successful teams? How have researchers investigated these characteristics?

Clear goals, appropriate leadership, organizational support, suitable tasks, and accountability and rewards are the five characteristics. Researchers have used interviews and surveys to investigate what makes teams successful. However, because they are from different backgrounds their methods may have been different. The researchers also were investigating different types of teams, which led to different findings.

4. Why is it important that the characteristics of the task match the abilities and composition of the team?

Chapter 3: (please answer 2 of the next 3 questions)

5. Please list the five stages of group development. Then please pick two of those stages and provide suggestions to leaders of how they would help the group or team navigate through these specific stages.

6. Explain the value and characteristics of effective team goals.

The value of setting team goals is that it enables the company to achieve its goals, elp boost employee engagement, productivity, and retention by ensuring that each team member knows their role in the overall plan. The first attribute of effective team goals is, tie measures to drivers of success. This means that the goals must give a conformed path to the attainment of the business’ strategy, vision, and mission. Another attribute of effective team goal is simplicity. Here the business organization is required to simplify the measures with an objective of offering one that proficiently reflects attainment of the key objectives. Therefore, the goals should be simple and straight forward.

7. What are the four functions of team norms and their positive and negative effects? Please also provide at least two examples of teams, groups, or organizations and share examples of their team norms, and either some positive or negative effects for each example.

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The functions of team norms include they express principal values to prop up the team identity building, describe the objectives of the team, define effective team behavior, and coordinate group activities. The positive effect of norms is that they bridge between principles and regulations and these norms often sound like rules but in a softer way. Norms reduces conflicts and stress within the group. The problem with team norms is that individuals will act differently in some situations due to lack of understanding on what to do at a particular situation. Microsoft company’s norms include empowering team members to do what they want, and this has contributed to its great performance. Nevertheless, this empowering sometimes causes conflicts and biased decisions.

Chapter 4: (please answer both questions)

8. Explain Social loafing and how to reduce it.

Social loafing entails the perception that individuals are vulnerable to exert less efforts when operating collectively as part of a team compared to when they could have performed the jobs individually. Factors such as culture, and anticipations of the co-worker performance can potentially influence social loafing. The best way to reduce social loafing is to construct a team of individuals that you know they work best when together, and if possible, the company should recruit individuals that are friendly to each other and hardworking.

9. Explain why group cohesion is important and how to build it? What would you do as a leader to foster a more dynamic group cohesion? Can you provide specific examples and details of what you would do to develop strong group cohesion?

Group cohesion is the tendency of the group to stay together in order to attain their common objectives that they share. A group cohesion is characterized by both social cohesion and interaction of its members. Group cohesion is important in that it allows people to be part of that particular group to have similar kind of interests and maintain a certain focus in the group.

To build group cohesion, you employ right individuals, remove knowledge silos, communicate effectively and keep the group as small as possible. As a leader I can foster a more dynamic group cohesion by employing the right and experienced individual in the team, and always communicate effectively. For example, I will ensure that members’ opinions concerning certain projects are warmly accepted. This will allow me develop a stronger group cohesion as members will feel appreciated for their opinions and efforts.

Chapter 5: (please answer this question)

10. What are some benefits and problems related to both cooperation and competition within a team, or group? As the leader how can ensure that you are maximizing the benefits, so that cooperation and competition enhance the team or group you are leading? What are some important things a leader must do in order to avoid the problems creating bigger issues for the team? Can you provide a real-life example of how benefits for these two areas (cooperation and competition) have been actualized? Can you provide an example in real life where they have created problems?

The benefits of cooperation and competition in the team include enhancement of knowledge sharing in the team, fostering good communication in the team, and establishes trust. Benefits of competition in the team includes increased employee innovation and emergence of new skills and interests. The problems that arise from competition in the team include anger, and pessimism that leads to upsurged physical ailments and stress with members. As a leader, I will promote health competition within the team and strong relationships between the team members to prevent problems such as anger.

In Microsoft company, leaders are enhancing and promoting cooperation within teams. This has showed a positive outcome as members work collectively from a common ground. Health competition present in Microsoft company has enabled employees to become innovative and acquire new skills every day. Lack of cooperation and unhealth competition between employees, causes employees to deliver higher sales numbers by secretly creating a lot of money of unauthorized bank and credit card accounts.

Chapter 6: (please answer just 1 of these 2 questions)

11. Name and explain the four components of emotional intelligence.

12. Why is team emotional intelligence important?

Emotional intelligence is the capability to identify, utilize, understand and control emotions in a positive way to relieve stress, empathize with others, and resolve different disputes within the group. Emotional intelligence is important because of its impact on the group members. First, it allows to manage stress encountered from conflict and difficult projects within the group. Therefore, each member of the group should have emotional intelligence, and it is important to test EQ of members before recruiting them.

Chapter 7: (please answer this question)

13. What are the benefits and problems that come with conflict within a team? After you discuss this, please then provide an example on a current team, or from your experience where the benefits are seen, and then the same for problems that conflict created within a team. Then, please list a few ways in which you as a leader can prepare, manage and steer conflict to be beneficial and not damaging.

The benefit of conflict in the workplace is that as the members work through conflicts, they are capable to make progression toward achieving objectives required. And members of the team become more productive as the engage in conflict resolution. The problem that come with conflict within a team is that it damages members relationships and decrease job satisfaction. I was working with BIDCO company and anytime conflicts arose, we could gather as a team to resolve. Resolving these conflicts increased our skills and productivity. Nevertheless, the parties involve with the dispute remained upset and some members resigned the job. Leaders should assist and support the team members to maintain boundaries and resolve the conflict timely and fairy. Also, the leader should address all sources of the conflict to prevent further emergence of the conflict.

Chapter 8: (please choose 1 of the 2 questions and answer them in short answer)

14. Compare and contrast personal/soft power with positional power. Which is more effective?

15. What is empowerment? What problems does an organization encounter when trying to empower teams? What should an organization do to increase the possibility of success in creating empowerment programs?

Empowerment is authority and freedom given to someone do anything they want or control wat happens to them. The problem that organizations encounter while empowering teams is that efficiency can decline. When employees are given authorities over things in the organization, there is increased chances of decisions becoming biased. Organizations should empower employees by examining their capabilities in responsibilities they are assigning them and this can increase productivity because decision making and problem solving will become much more easy

Chapter 9: (Please choose 1 of the 3 questions and answer them in short answer):

16. When are group decisions superior to individual decisions? Comment by Johannes Regier: When groups successfully pool resources; when there is good communication; and when tasks are too complex for individuals.

Individual decisions are decisions taken by a single individual. Individual decisions do not consume time and are simple to make. Group decisions are decisions taken by groups or a committee. This decision making is complex and often consumes more time. However, group decisions are superior to individual decisions based on accuracy. Individual decisions are based on only a single individual’s perspective hence can be biased. On the other hand, group decisions are made from different people’s perspectives hence they are balanced and more accurate that individual decisions.

17. What are the three causes of group decision-making problems, and their impact on group decisions?

18. How do group polarization and groupthink affect a team’s decision-making process? Can you provide an example from current affairs or a recent illustration from a team, organization or society?