Short Answer
Mid-Term Exam: Short Answer/Essay Questions:
LDRS 330 SP 2021
Please follow each chapter’s questions and answer the number of questions required in each chapter. You will answer a total of 12 of the following questions in a short essay (there should be 1-3 paragraphs for each answer)
Please, when you answer a question, replace 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 them. 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, or a self-managing team) and share how power, leadership, decision-making, and activities are played out in these examples?
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 or pursued success? What are the potential problems with defining success in these three ways, or what are some of the benefits of these definitions?
3. What are the five characteristics of successful teams? How have researchers investigated these characteristics?
4. Why is it important that the characteristics of the task match the abilities and composition of the team?
Chapter 3: Please answer two of the next three 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.
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.
Chapter 4: (please answer both questions.)
8. Explain social loafing and how to reduce it.
9. Explain why group cohesion is important and how to build it. What would you do as a leader to foster more dynamic group cohesion? Can you provide specific examples and details of what you would do to develop strong group cohesion?
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 you 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 problems that create 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?
Chapter 6: (please answer just 1 of these two questions.)
11. Name and explain the four components of emotional intelligence.
12. Why is team emotional intelligence important?
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 of a current team or from your experience where the benefits are seen, and then the same for problems that conflict has 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.
Chapter 8: (please choose one of the two questions and answer them in short answer.)
14. Compare and contrast personal or 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?
Chapter 9: (Please choose one of the three questions and answer them in a short answer):
16. When are group decisions superior to 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?