Teamwork skills Module 1 and 2

According to our lesson on Group Development, what is one of the main problems with phase models of group development?

• Phase models do not reflect how most groups actually work in the real world

• Phase models portray groups as engaging in multiple activities simultaneously

• Phase models emphasize non-linear interactions that involve repetition and redundancy

A continuous model of interaction with multiple sequences3.

One of the things you've noticed about your current team is that everyone comes to meetings several minutes early to discuss various issues before the actual meeting begins. There's no formal rule about this, but there's a clear expectation that you participate in this pre-meeting routine. According to our lesson on Group Development, which aspect of group development is best illustrated in this scenario?

• Norms

• Meeting agenda

• Socialization

• Roles

According to our lesson on Group Development, it is probably best to think of group development

as:

• Clear strategy and shared vision with autonomous operations

• Periods of unified activity that fulfill some function

• A linear series of phases or stages

According to our lesson on Group Development, which term describes the process of becoming a part of a group?

• Norms

• Specialization

• Roles

• Socialization

What is arguably the most important function of group work??

• Managing relationships

• Promoting stability

• Decision making

• Convening diverse stakeholders

You are part of a planning team for the food pantry in your community. Recently you had a meeting to discuss the amount of food and the number of volunteers needed for the next six months. Initially everyone assumed that your procurement department should secure 10 tons of produce and canned food, and your outreach department should recruit 100 volunteers for the next six months, since that’s how much food and volunteers you needed last year at this time. But then someone in your team spoke up and said,

“Are we sure about that? Why should we assume that things will be the same as last year? The recent economic recession means that more people are out of work and struggling to put food on the table. Plus food prices are expected to rise, making it even more difficult for many people to afford quality meals. We should re-think the amount of food and volunteers we’ll need for the next six months.”

This helped your team go back and make better decisions about food procurement and volunteer recruitment based on anticipated needs.

According to our lesson on decision making, which communication practice for making better decisions does this scenario best illustrate?

• Multiple alternatives

• Assumption testing

• Perceived fairness

• Dissent and debate

According to our lesson on Decision Making, one of the best things you can do to catalyze your creative thinking is:

• Eliminate constraints

• Free yourself from structures

• Think outside the box

• Find the right box

You are part of a team that has to make an important decision between several competing alternatives. Lots of information is presented in your meeting, but everyone seems to be giving disproportional weight to the quality of the initial presentation, simply because it was first.

According to our lesson on Decision Making, which decision-making trap are you and your team falling into?

• Confirming evidence

• Estimating

• Sunk costs

• Anchoring

Javier is leading his team through a decision-making meeting where they have to evaluate the effectiveness of a current program and decide whether or not it should continue. Even though the program has been largely unsuccessful so far, the team decides to continue the program anyway because they have already invested so much time and money in it.

According to our lesson on Decision Making, which decision-making trap did Javier and his team fall into?

• Sunk costs

• Status quo

• Estimating

You are the manager of a team of engineers at a manufacturing company. You are in the process of trying to develop a new system that will increase the efficiency of your manufacturing operations. You and your team agree that any new system must not increase the budget by more than 5% and must be implemented in 12 months or less. This provided an objective standard by which you could evaluate any new idea and thus helped you make a better decision as a team.

According to our lesson on Decision Making, which communication practice for making better decisions does this scenario best illustrate?

• Assumption testing

• Well defined criteria

• Multiple alternatives