1) In spite of undeniable intelligence and impressive educational backgrounds of team members, an underlying tension in the team caused:
a. Decisions to seemingly never get made.
b. Discussions which are slow and uninteresting.
c. Everyone seemingly to be desperately waiting for each meeting to end.
d. All of these
2) In the fracturing analogy of fixing a “broken arm” in a dysfunctional team:
a. The re-break hurts more because you have to do it on purpose.
b. There is no difference in the pain suffered.
c. Doesn’t apply because teams are easy to form and to participate in.
d. Teams take care of themselves without problems.
3) To have Political Capital means:
a. You are solely in charge.
b. There is someone above you that can overrule your decision.
c. You have an excellent relationship with executive management that precludes them from overruling your final decision.
d. You must seek the approval of others before you make a decision.
4) Teams in business are formed to:
a. Achieve results.
b. Be a social club.
c. Make the company succeed.
d. A & C
5) The most critical dysfunction of a team is the absence of trust due to failure to:
a. Understand and open up to one another.
b. To admit their mistakes, weaknesses and concerns without fear of reprisal.
c. To air their dirty laundry.
d. All of the above.
6) Lack of debate on concerns during meetings by the group:
a. Shows everyone is getting along.
b. Shows there is too much work to do.
c. Shows there is a trust problem among those members.
d. Communication within the group is uniform.
7) Considering Mikey’s and Martin’s behavior during the early meetings, one may surmise that it:
a. Is not significant in group meetings because it just means members are uncomfortable in their chairs.
b. Sends a clear message to members of your feelings towards your team members.
c. Sends a clear message of your feelings toward the subject matter.
d. B & C
8) Kathryn continually begins her meetings with the statement, “We have more cash, more experienced executives, better technology, and more connections than any of our competitors, and yet at least two of them are ahead of us in the market.” Why?
a. The members are in personal conflict and not functioning as a team.
b. To keep the team on track, she identifies their strengths, weaknesses, resources and primary goal.
c. She continues to use her old notes because she has nothing new to add.
d. A & B
9) Using the analogy of a football game score that signifies winning the game, Kathryn cautions about individual egos when she states:
a. Only the individual effort is rewarded.
b. Success has no room for interpretation.
c. Most of their [football] competitors are just a bunch of individuals looking out for themselves.
d. B and C.
10) Lack of commitment and the failure to buy into decisions is not solved through consensus because:
a. People need to unload their opinions and feel like they’ve been listened to, or they won’t really get on board.
b. Constructive conflict is necessary.
c. Consensus becomes an attempt to please everyone.
d. Most reasonable people don’t have to get their way in a discussion. They just need to be heard and to know that their input was considered and responded to.
e. All of these.
11) During the first off-site retreat, a major amount of time was spent on:
a. The financial health of the company.
b. The technology needed to compete.
c. The goals of company.
d. The bad behavior of the executive staff.
12) Politics within a company is defined as:
a. When people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.
b. Expressing the truth all the time.
c. Delegating to the decision maker.
d. Accepting assignments because it is a career move.
13) “Once we achieve clarity and buy-in, it is then that we have to hold each other accountable for what we sign up to do, for high standards of performance and behavior.” Most executives hate to do it…” because they want to avoid interpersonal discomfort because:
a. Members are direct reports.
b. Members are supposed to be equals but their standards are too low.
c. Members are not trained.
d. It is expected of members to be a team player.
14) The single most important/logical arena or setting for conflict is:
a. The office.
b. The meeting.
c. The parking lot.
d. The back alley.
15) When it comes to teams in organizations, the team member’s loyalties and confidentialities first belong to:
a. The member’s “first team” putting team results ahead of individual issues.
b. Their department personnel they work with and represent.
c. The CEO.
d. The Board of Trustees.
16) A good team does the following:
a. Demonstrates trust.
b. Engages in conflict and commits to group decisions.
c. Holds their peers accountable.
d. Focus on the achievement of collective results of the, not their own ego.
e. All of these
17) The role of a leader in “trusting teams” is to:
a. Hold people accountable.
b. Demonstrate genuine vulnerability first.
c. Be critical of the task at hand.
d. Be the first to reach a decision because everyone is looking to him/her for the answer.
18) The role of a leader during “team conflict” is:
a. To demonstrate restraint when their people engage in conflict and allow resolution to occur naturally.
b. To immediately put a halt to the conflict.
c. Take over the meeting and make the unpopular decision.
d. Remove the feuding team members.
19) In a low risk situation on obtaining commitment, teammates have found:
a. Research is king
b. Substantial discussion can actually lead to decisions better than they expected without a lengthy, time-consuming study.
c. Documenting the sources is best.
d. Always defer to the boss.
20) The role of the leader during “lack of commitment” is:
a. Must be comfortable with the prospect of making a decision that ultimately turns out to be wrong.
b. Must constantly push the group for closure around issues as well as adherence to schedules.
c. Place too high a premium on certainty on consensus.
d. A & B
21) The role of a leader in “avoidance of accountability” is:
a. To encourage and allow the team to serve as the first and primary accountability mechanism.
b. To be willing to serve as the ultimate arbiter of discipline when the team itself fails with no hesitation to step in when it is necessary.
c. To never take a direct role in the final decision.
d. A & B
22) The role of the leader in “inattention to results:”
a. Sets tone for a focus on results.
b. Must be selfless and objective.
c. Reserve rewards and recognition for those who make real contributions to the achievement of the group goals.
d. All of these