Title: Collaboration in and across Teams
Course: Question Banks

Q: In terms of business communication, which of the following best describes the contribution of teams in the workplace:
- Writing competition on teams creates better results.
- Teams make faster decisions than individuals.
- Teams accomplish more than individuals.
A: Teams accomplish more than individuals.

Q: Individual contributors receive which of the following advantages for improving their communication skills in the workplace:
- Fewer meetings are necessary to produce more work.
- Better customer feedback produces more opportunities for advancement.
- Both the individual and the organization become more successful.
A: Both the individual and the organization become more successful.

Q: In the last few decades, the need for effective communication on teams at work has increased. What is one of the main reasons for this:
- Business communication skills have become more complex.
- Teams perform tasks well-suited for traditional organizations.
- There has been an increase in organizations becoming more virtual.
A: There has been an increase in organizations becoming more virtual.

Q: Some teams are thought of as smaller companies within the larger company. What is this type of team called:
- virtual team
- cross-functional task force
- self-managed team
A: self-managed team

Q: On Alma’s team, people meet online from different time zones and countries. She makes a point of dressing professionally for meetings, even though some of her teammates consider this unnecessary. Regardless of the dress code, this team is as accountable for results as any other team. What type of team is Alma most likely on:
- management team
- project team
- virtual team
A: virtual team

Q: Daichi likes working with people in different areas of his company. He believes that the diversity of experience can help give different perspectives to solve problems. He also prefers to work on teams that stay together for a long time. What type of team would best suit Daichi:
- task force
- project management team
- cross-functional team
A: cross-functional team

Q: One way to develop good relationships on a team is to assign different roles to members. Which of the following roles would be considered essential on a team:
- someone with knowledge and experience
- someone who makes sure that everyone is comfortable
- someone who brings up alternative perspectives and ideas
A: someone who brings up alternative perspectives and ideas

Q: Freny’s team tends to repeat mistakes from past projects, and also seems to forget past successes. What suggestion should Freny make to the team leader to break out of this pattern:
- Have one member make sure all parties are heard during the meeting.
- Have one member ensure that cohesion is maintained in the meeting.
- Have one member track outcomes of meetings and projects.
A: Have one member track outcomes of meetings and projects.

Q: Cammie usually goes along with whatever her teammates decide on in meetings. She prefers to avoid conflicts. Which of the following best describes this team problem:
- dominant personalities
- social loafing
- groupthink
A: groupthink

Q: Understanding group dynamics is essential for large organizations to communicate well with employees. What is key to cultivating good group dynamics:
- strong leadership
- routine updates
- good relationships
A: good relationships

Q: Tanya feels overwhelmed by all the updates and emails she receives every day from people in her company. What would be a more structured way for her company to share information:
- Create email protocols.
- Use meetings for updates.
- Use a newsletter.
A: Use a newsletter.

Q: Karen’s team used to have trouble working together. To remedy this, they focused on improving their relationships, which led to members being assigned specific roles. What pitfalls should Karen’s team be aware of that may get in the way of her team’s new effectiveness:
- Employees forming cliques.
- Competition over hierarchy.
- Hindrances to team dynamics.
A: Hindrances to team dynamics.

Q: Many people try and avoid conflicts in interpersonal communication. But, conflict on a team can also be helpful at times. How can conflict help make a team more productive:
- Competitive pressure improves everyone’s performance.
- Passionate arguments help reveal who cares most on a team.
- It can help reduce groupthink and apathy.
A: It can help reduce groupthink and apathy.

Q: Lauren has been growing frustrated lately because she feels her manager is increasingly out of touch with the needs of her team. She recently received an email from her boss that outlined a new process for submitting vacation times. She deleted the email without reading it, assuming the idea was impractical. What is the source of this conflict:
- Sales versus service.
- Lauren doesn’t read her emails.
- Differences with management.
A: Differences with management.

Q: Sandra has noticed that the team she leads has become less productive lately. They’ve shown early signs of apathy and she’s concerned this could lead to more problems with morale. What can Sandra do to respond to this situation:
- Confront apathetic team members to root out the source of the problem.
- Avoid apathetic team members and focus on the engaged ones.
- Acknowledge the conflict and address it openly with the team.
A: Acknowledge the conflict and address it openly with the team.

Q: Nazneen prefers a less structured, more ambiguous work structure. She is detail-oriented and can come up with innovative ideas, as long as she has enough time and information to analyze a problem. What most likely is Nazneen’s decision-making style:
- behavioral
- directive
- analytical
A: analytical

Q: Henry believes that everyone should have a voice in the decision making process. And whatever the majority decides, he is willing to accept it, even if he disagrees with the choice. What decision making process does Henry prefer:
- groupthink
- authority rule
- voting
A: voting

Q: Victor used to be on a team that made decisions through majority rule. He felt this wasn’t fair to everyone. So, on the team he currently leads, he asks all members to participate in the decision-making process. He knows this way requires more input than other methods, but he feels it gives members more freedom of choice. What decision-making process does Victor prefer:
- groupthink
- compromise
- consensus
A: consensus

Q: Asynchronous communication tools have many advantages, including low cost and ease of use. What is one of the drawbacks of asynchronous communication tools:
- They can cause confusion on large teams if used poorly.
- They can lead to subgroups forming on teams.
- They lack the ability to give immediate feedback to other members.
A: They lack the ability to give immediate feedback to other members.

Q: Maria is looking for software to be able to communicate with her remote team. She needs the ability to chat, get instant feedback, and also have time flexibility with responses. What communication tool would best suit Maria’s needs:
- BaseCamp
- Gmail
- Webex
A: Webex

Q: Simi needs to find software that will allow her team members to keep track of each other’s progress, while working on projects. It should also allow her to coordinate the whole project and make sure everyone is on the same page. What tool would best suit Simi’s needs:
- Slack
- Excel
- Asana
A: Asana

Q: On every team, there are people with different skills and levels of expertise. So, it’s not always necessary for everyone in the group to write every word of a document in a collaborative writing process. One person may be tasked to do the majority of the writing. What are other contributions team members can make to support the solo writer:
- Other team members can think conceptually to speed up the process.
- Other team members can use leadership skills to promote the group.
- Other team members can review, edit, and even rewrite the document.
A: Other team members can review, edit, and even rewrite the document.

Q: One concern during collaborative writing projects is duplication of some content, while leaving out other important information. In the “divide and conquer” method, what can a team do to avoid these problems:
- Have only a few members write to ensure consistency.
- Trust the process as it always works out.
- Create a strong outline for the whole document.
A: Create a strong outline for the whole document.

Q: Estelle was the solo writer of a collaborative writing project. A few of her team members created the outline for the document, while all the others were involved in editing and proofreading. Who should get credit for writing the document:
- Eric, the proofreaders, and editors
- only Eric
- all members
A: all members

Q: There are several collaborative technologies available today. These technologies have made digital collaborations become simpler and more convenient. Of all the choices available, what features make wikis different from other social and collaborative technologies:
- They have an intuitive user interface for collaboration.
- They are used more for file storage and retention.
- They are highly collaborative and based on open editing.
A: They are highly collaborative and based on open editing.

Q: Maya’s team needs to find a collaborative tool. Each member of the team is creating and editing their own document, without collaboration from other members. When each member finishes their document, they need a tool that will allow them to share their documents to be viewed by other members. Editing and commenting is not necessary, but lots of storage space is. What collaborative tool would best suit Maya’s team’s needs:
- Google Docs
- MS Word
- Dropbox
A: Dropbox

Q: Brent and his team are collaborating on a written project. They require a collaborative tool that will allow them to highlight the changes each user makes, while also noting who made the change. Since these writing projects often produce many edits, they also want to be able to see the original document next to the edited document, to get some perspective on the changes. What tool would best suit Brent’s team’s needs:
- Webex
- Dropbox
- MS Word
A: MS Word

Q: Esteban has an important meeting with a big customer in a few days. He’s been working long hours preparing for this, and feels confident all will go well. The only thing Esteban is unsure about is how to dress for this meeting. What should Esteban do:
- Wear his finest suit because it has impressed others.
- Dress casually to demonstrate how youthful he is.
- Talk to a colleague who has met this customer.
A: Talk to a colleague who has met this customer.

Q: Lucy is the CFO of her company. She’s known to overbook her time and is often late for meetings. Right now, she is thirty minutes late for a meeting with one of her junior colleagues. How could the junior colleague appropriately handle this situation:
- Politely let Lucy know her behavior is inappropriate.
- Leave without notifying Lucy.
- Text Lucy to reschedule.
A: Text Lucy to reschedule.

Q: In different cultures, appropriate ways to make eye contact can vary. What would be considered appropriate eye contact in an American workplace:
- Stand with good posture and stare into the other person’s eyes.
- Keep a steady gaze, but not directly at the other person. Look up and down from time to time.
- Direct your look to the top of the other person’s nose, and occasionally glance around.
A: Direct your look to the top of the other person’s nose, and occasionally glance around.

Q: Matt doesn’t enjoy company events very much. He has trouble meeting new people and feels awkward when everyone else knows each other. What would be appropriate behavior for Matt while attending a company social event:
- Sit at the bar and ask the bartender questions about the other guests.
- Walk around the periphery of the room, looking confident, and hope that some of the guests approach him.
- Approach a group and say, “Hi, I’m Matt from the Buffalo office. What’s your name?”
A: Approach a group and say, “Hi, I’m Matt from the Buffalo office. What’s your name?”

Q: Sally had never enjoyed office parties. She tended to stay only as long as she had to, and then left before things got a little crazy. But last week, Sally was promoted, and her co-workers threw her an impromptu office celebration. But, this time Sally decided to join in. At first, her colleagues seemed happy Sally was enjoying a few drinks. But, after a while, some people began hinting it was time to go home, or asked if they could call her a cab. Sally didn’t notice the hints, and was the last one present, hugging each person as they left. The next day, she couldn’t remember everything from the party, but she was happy with her behavior. How would you describe Sally’s behavior at the party:
- appropriate for a work party
- friendly
- inappropriate
A: inappropriate

Q: Elaine Chao, the CEO of her company, is attending a company dinner to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. She, and many other long-time employees, are in their seventies. You are at the table when Elaine arrives, and you are hosting the event. What would be an appropriate way for you to greet her:
- Give her a big hug, then walk her to her seat.
- Welcome her from your seat, without any formality.
- Rise and introduce the CEO to the others at the table.
A: Rise and introduce the CEO to the others at the table.