Test Bank Answers Chapter 7 Communicating In Small Groups

CHAPTER 7

COMMUNICATING IN SMALL GROUPS

1. Russell Wilson is a great NFL quarterback. His teammates listen to him, right or wrong. He gives them a look that says, “This’ll work. Follow me.” He possesses_____ power.
   1. coercive
   2. reward
   3. connectional
   4. referent *
   5. athletic

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. A leader who always reminds a group of her or his famous next-door neighbor is attempting to gain ___________ power.
   1. coercive
   2. reward
   3. connectional *
   4. referent
   5. athletic

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. The type of power that is most easily abused or wrongly administered is ________ power.
   1. coercive *
   2. reward
   3. connectional
   4. referent
   5. athletic

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. _______ leaders face the challenge of their group members becoming unmotivated.
   1. Authoritarian
   2. Democratic
   3. Laissez-Faire *
   4. Hierarchical
   5. Motivational

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. Which of the following is true of the systems theory?
   1. All members of the system are constrained by their dependence on others.*
   2. Producing on-going change moves the system toward failure.
   3. Systems can be indifferent toward their goals.
   4. Some group members’ actions do affect the group as a whole, while some members’ actions do not affect the group as a whole.
   5. Some systems work better than others.

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Which of the following is a main idea of the Structuration Theory?
   1. Rules and resources are produced from people’s interactions in their groups. *
   2. Challenging structures can cause a lack of cohesion among group members.
   3. Only group leaders can change the structure of groups.
   4. External information is the main driving force for changing the structure of a group.
   5. Group leaders must be encouraged internally to change group structures.

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Your Dad calls you and your sisters into the kitchen so that you might all weigh in on that evening’s menu—pizza or Chinese, ordered in, of course. You love the fact that he is always open to discussing matters and giving you some input, demonstrating the _______________communication strategy.
   1. authoritarian
   2. laissez-faire
   3. FKB (Father Knows Best)
   4. democratic/authoritative *
   5. permissive

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Types of Groups

1. Your Mom has always been strict with you and your siblings, but now in your late teens, her “my way or the highway” approach to family communication has begun to grate on you. This ____________family communicating strategy has outlived its usefulness for you and your siblings.
   1. authoritarian*
   2. laissez-faire
   3. MKB (Mother Knows Best)
   4. democratic/authoritative
   5. permissive

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Types of Groups

1. The Vice President of a Company told Martha, an intern, that to make her work better she needs to go into more detail about the research she has done. Which of the following C’s for successful teamwork is in play in this situation?
   1. Clear expectations*
   2. Coordination
   3. Context
   4. Communication
   5. Control

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Improving Your Group Communication Skills

1. The sales teams get monthly bonuses based on their performance. This is an example of the use of _______ cohesion.
   1. sentiment-based
   2. reward-based*
   3. assignment-based
   4. dependency-based
   5. cash-based

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Who of the following professionals typically exercises informational power?
   1. Cable guys
   2. Physicians*
   3. Athletes
   4. Cashiers
   5. Dishwashers

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. The members of a basketball team know which position to play because they are aware of _______ the team.
   1. their ranks on
   2. the norms of
   3. their roles on *
   4. the controls of
   5. the expectations of

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Army recruiters go into a high school and assemble groups of students to talk about the options available to young recruits fresh out of school. These are examples of ______ groups.
   1. skill-building
   2. information-presentation *
   3. participant-driven
   4. decision-making
   5. future-planning

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Types of Groups

1. Which of the following is one of the three most common leadership styles?
   1. Paternalistic Leadership
   2. Republican Leadership
   3. Laissez-faire Leadership *
   4. Autodictate Leadership
   5. Critical Leadership

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. The battle of egos in your study group has become so bad that nothing is getting done and you are forced to report to your professor that your group will not meet the requirements of the assignment and must be dissolved. Your group has suffered ________.
   1. group breakdown*
   2. the hurting stage of conflict
   3. resignation
   4. team disbanding
   5. a stunning humiliation

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. One of the reasons your project group did not meet the requirements of the assignment and had to be dissolved was that its rules and expectations had not been clearly defined or established. The group failed, in part, because it suffered ________.
   1. normative confusion*
   2. rank ineffectiveness
   3. groupthink
   4. system failure
   5. information paucity

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. When some voices in a group were suppressed because of pressure from others, resulting in a lack of thoughtful examination of the assigned task, the group failed, in part, because it suffered ________.
   1. normative confusion
   2. rank ineffectiveness
   3. groupthink *
   4. system failure
   5. information paucity

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. One reason a group might not meet the requirements of an assignment and have to be dissolved is the failure of leadership to control egos. In cases like this, the group fails, in part, because it suffers from ________.
   1. normative confusion
   2. rank ineffectiveness *
   3. groupthink
   4. system failure
   5. information paucity

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. ___________ is the process of your family, through interaction with its members, teaching you to become a functioning member of the family.
   1. Group think
   2. Coercive power
   3. Extortion
   4. Indoctrination
   5. Socialization *

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. It’s at the _______ stage in group development that teams typically experience and handle conflict.
   1. norming
   2. performing
   3. storming *
   4. forming
   5. adjourning

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. ___________ power is based primarily on a leader’s status.
   1. coercive
   2. informational
   3. legitimate *
   4. connectional
   5. athletic

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. ________ theory maintains that working together as a group will have better results than an individual effort.
   1. Structuration
   2. Systems *
   3. Social Penetration
   4. Uncertainty Reduction
   5. Relational Dialectics

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Which of the following is a type of task-oriented group?
   1. A system
   2. Secondary
   3. Primary
   4. Skill-Building *
   5. Family

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Types of Groups

1. Which of the following is another example of a task-oriented group?
   1. Friday night poker group
   2. Ladies’ bridge club
   3. Cancer support group *
   4. College suitemates
   5. Husband and wife

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Types of Groups

1. Which of the following is a dynamic of group structure, a part of how groups structure themselves to achieve their goals?
   1. Ranks *
   2. Contract
   3. Authority
   4. System
   5. Members

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Your group has reached the _______ stage of group development. Folks are finally working together toward your common goal. They’ve put their disagreements behind and they’ve settled on how to best complete the assigned task.
   1. forming
   2. norming *
   3. storming
   4. performing
   5. adjourning

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Your group is really humming now. The personalities have meshed and the procedures for getting the task done are in place and agreed upon. Your group is in the _______ stage of group development.
   1. forming
   2. norming
   3. storming
   4. performing *
   5. adjourning

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. The _________ leadership style typically encourages full and equal participation among individuals in the group.
   1. authoritarian
   2. laissez-faire
   3. democratic *
   4. coercive
   5. meandering

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. You and your fellow crewmates are new to sailing, so trusting her knowledge and experience, you quite willingly follow the orders of the boat’s skipper, a 20-year sailing veteran. In other words, she is exercising ________ power over you.
   1. legitimate
   2. expert *
   3. coercive
   4. informational
   5. athletic

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. You and your fellow crewmates are new to sailing, so trusting her knowledge and experience, you quite willingly follow the orders of the boat’s skipper. But as you watch her, you learn that she is actually a very bad sailor. But you must follow her commands because she is indeed the captain. In other words, she is exercising ________ power over you.
   1. legitimate *
   2. expert
   3. coercive
   4. informational
   5. athletic

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. __________ is generally a product of authoritarian leadership.
   1. Shared control
   2. More creativity
   3. Less rigidity
   4. High morale
   5. No member input *

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. ___________ is generally one product of laissez-faire leadership.
   1. Strict guidance
   2. Less efficiency *
   3. A clearly defined set of expectations
   4. Complete control
   5. Strong guidance

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. You’ve been elected to head your club’s entertainment committee and the first thing you do is discuss with your fellow group members how the assignment they’ve been given impacts them and you lay out how you plan to reward their achievements. An effective leader, you are _______________.
   1. encouraging each member to vocalize his or her feelings about the project
   2. allowing the members to develop a sense of ownership in the committee’s goal *
   3. working toward building group cohesion
   4. reminding your colleagues that everyone benefits from a successful outcome
   5. laying out the expected rewards for good work

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Improving Your Group Communication Skills

1. You’re leader of your club’s entertainment committee. To ensure that your group performs at its best you look for commonalities among group members, hoping to determine the factors that bind them should you need that information later to resolve conflict. An effective leader, you are _______________.
   1. encouraging each member to vocalize his or her feelings about the project
   2. allowing the members to develop a sense of ownership in the committee’s goal
   3. working toward building group cohesion *
   4. reminding your colleagues that everyone benefits from a successful outcome
   5. laying out the expected rewards for good work

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Improving Your Group Communication Skills

1. _____________ groups offer their members affection and a sense of belonging.
   1. Task-oriented
   2. Well-functioning
   3. Participant-driven
   4. Primary *
   5. Athletic

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Types of Groups

1. Group members bound by ______ cohesion rely on the relational closeness of its members.
   1. reward-based
   2. dependency-based
   3. assignment-based
   4. sentiment-based *
   5. goal-based

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Group members bound by ______ cohesion rely on their commitment to meeting their group’s goals.
   1. reward-based
   2. dependency-based
   3. assignment-based *
   4. sentiment-based
   5. goal-based

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Which scenario best explains normative confusion?
   1. Your professor emails the class to say that day’s session is canceled but provides no reason.
   2. Your group leader fails to explain what’s expected of each member at the group’s next meeting. *
   3. Your friend is confused on how to get the right answer on a math problem.
   4. Your soccer team’s captain forgot to tell you about the team’s barbeque party.
   5. You are not sure if meetings should open with a hug or a simple handshake.

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Which scenario best illustrates an example of a skill-building groups?
   1. Sandy attending a finance club on campus to learn more about finance.
   2. Mark participating in a writing workshop to improve his writing. *
   3. Rosie going to a conference to speak on health awareness.
   4. Andrew facilitating a community service project.
   5. Rosie going to a conference to listen to a talk on health awareness.

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Types of Groups

1. Which one of the following groups would most likely use the most formal group communication?
   1. Club Entertainment Committee
   2. Friends and Family
   3. Army Unit *
   4. Jury
   5. Intermural softball team

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Which one of the following groups would most likely use the least formal group communication?
   1. Club Entertainment Committee
   2. Friends/Family *
   3. Army Unit
   4. Starbucks Baristas
   5. Intermural softball team

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. ___________, how we and others rely on and are influenced by one another, is essential to group success.
   1. Interdependence *
   2. Friendship
   3. Reliance
   4. Affiliation
   5. Representation

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Structuration Theory asserts that our interactions with our fellow group members not only rely on the group’s established structures, but as we interact within those structures we ______________.
   1. bring noise into the system
   2. reproduce or reinforce those structures *
   3. structure, or build, stronger interpersonal relationships
   4. defer to leadership more than is necessary
   5. form group alliances

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. A jury is a good example of a(n) ___________ group.
   1. decision-making *
   2. participant-driven
   3. information-presentation
   4. skill-building
   5. primary

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Types of Groups

1. Systems sustain and regulate themselves to achieve their intended outcome through communication. The parts interact with one another, and as one part changes in response to that communication, so too does the other, resulting in change by the first part. In this way __________ is/are created.
   1. affiliations
   2. goal orientation
   3. feedback loops *
   4. hierarchies
   5. associations

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Systems are characterized by, among other things, their ___________.
   1. goal-orientation *
   2. reliance on strong leadership
   3. imperfection
   4. tendency toward groupthink
   5. entropy

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. You ask your Mom if you can borrow the car and she says, “I don’t care. Ask your father.” So you ask him and he says, “Whatever.” Your parents are practitioners of the ________ leadership style.
   1. authoritarian
   2. democratic
   3. laissez-faire *
   4. hierarchical
   5. meandering

Bloom’s: Analyzing

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. The fact that systems can and frequently do change because of input from outside the system itself suggests that well-functioning systems ___________.
   1. have goal-orientation
   2. monitor their environment *
   3. have feedback loops
   4. have a tendency toward groupthink
   5. can suffer entropy

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. The opposite of coercive power is _________ power.
   1. reward *
   2. referent
   3. legitimate
   4. expert
   5. athletic

Bloom’s: Remembering

A-head: Leadership and Power

1. For better or for worse, _________ can be an important factor in contributing to the exercise of ___________ power.
   1. punishment/referent
   2. attractiveness/referent *
   3. punishment/expert
   4. attractiveness/expert
   5. cash/informational

Bloom’s: Understanding

A-head: Leadership and Power

SHORT ANSWER

1. Briefly describe each of the four types of task-oriented groups and offer an example of each.

Main theme: Task-oriented groups are groups constructed and convened to serve a purpose. They can be long-term, formal organizations or they can be short-term, ad-hoc operations.

Answer must have: Accurate listing and descriptions of the four types: Participant-Driven, Information Presentation, Decision-Making, and Skill-Building. Examples must make sense.

Answer may have: Mention of formality and informality of group communication in each.

A-head: Types of Groups

1. List and describe the three problematic communication failures that can contribute to group breakdown and offer an example of each and how it might contribute to that breakdown.

Main theme: Group breakdown occurs when conflict emerges among members, causing deterioration or dissolution. A number of factors can contribute to group breakdown

Answer must have: Accurate listing and descriptions of the three factors: normative confusion, rank ineffectiveness, and groupthink. Examples must make sense.

Answer may have: Mention of possible solutions to each problem or leadership styles that might encourage these failures.

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. List and describe four types of group cohesion. Offer an example of a group that might rely on each form of cohesion and why that form of cohesion seems well suited for that type of group.

Main theme: Group cohesion binds members together as they accept their membership and their duties. It is a function of mutual interest as members see that their goals can be best met within the group.

Answer must have: Accurate listing and descriptions of the four forms of cohesion: sentiment-based, reward-based, assignment-based, and dependency-based. Examples must make sense given the offered type of group.

Answer may have: Mention of formality and informality of group communication in each or leadership styles that might work well in each.

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. List the five stages of group development in order and briefly explain what is going on in the group at each stage.

Main theme: Group cohesion binds members together as they accept their membership and their duties. It is a function of mutual interest as members see that their goals can be best met within the group.

Answer must have: Accurate listing, ordering, and descriptions of the five stages: forming (members initially convene), storming (members experience conflict), norming (members find cohesion), performing (members operate at a high level of efficiency), adjourning (members depart from one another and the task).

Answer may have: Mention of difficulty of effectively communicating with many people, as opposed to with just one other.

A-head: Dynamics of Group Structure

1. Differentiate between coercive power and reward power. When might one be more effective than the other? Give examples.

Main theme: Power drives leadership, and different types of power lead to different forms of leadership.

Answer must have: Accurate understanding of coercive power and reward power and what makes them different. Answers will vary on the second part of the question, but explanation and examples must make sense.

Answer may have: Connection of coercive power and reward power to different leadership styles.

A-head: Leadership and Power

ESSAY

1. Your group is having trouble listening and sharing opinions for their class project. Many members are not sharing their thoughts because they are feeling pressured. In an essay, discuss the stage of group development your group is currently in, what is happening in this stage, why it is happening, and then suggest some ways the group can work to improve their in-group communication and move to the next stage of group development.

Main theme: Group development goes through several stages; group breakdown can occur as several points, but here it is happening in the storming stage; and there are a number of strategies that can overcome these problems.

Answer must have: Accurate mention that the group is in the storming stage and is beset by problems of groupthink (and possibly rank ineffectiveness, given the nature of the specific answer). Solutions will vary, but make sense.

Answer may have: Mention of different leadership styles.

A-heads: Dynamics of Group Structure & Improving Your Group Communication Skills

1. Select a group you have led or might lead and indicate your preferred leadership style for that role. Explain why you think your chosen style will be effective. What are the possible downsides to this style of leadership in this group? How might you overcome them?

Main theme: Different leadership styles fit different people and different groups and tasks.

Answer must have: Answers will vary, but the chosen style must fit the nature of the group and task as described and potential downsides and solutions must fit the overall answer.

Answer may have: Mention of other leadership styles.

A-heads: Leadership and Power & Improving Your Group Communication Skills

1. Your group is having a terrible time making progress toward completing its project for Comm class. There are you, the self-appointed leader (although there didn’t seem to be any objection), two members who seem to be trying their best, one who seems competent but a bit disinterested, and a final member who is just plain unpleasant. You are only 2 weeks into the assignment and it is due in 2 more weeks. Take the 5 of 12 suggestions for improving group communication that you think would be of most value to you in this situation and explain how you would move your group to successful completion of its goal.

Main theme: We will frequently find ourselves in group assignments. The best way to deal with them is to, first, accept them; second, embrace them; and third, be better prepared to shape them into positive experiences. There are a number of ways to do so.

Answer must have: Answers will vary, but the 5 selected suggestions must come from the text’s 12 and must be properly explained and reasonably applied. Particular attention can be paid to the specific problem people in the group and application of the suggestions that might be most applicable.

Answer may have: Mention of leadership styles and inclusion of more than the asked-for 5.

A-heads: Improving Your Group Communication Skills

1. How are primary and task-oriented groups similar; how do they differ? Analyze their different purposes, the forms each can take, and use examples to support your discussion.

Main theme: Working in small groups is a fact of life, and those groups can be either primary or task-oriented, each with its particular set of complications and benefits.

Answer must have: Answers will vary, but there should be an accurate recitation of the similarities and differences between the two and the forms each can take, and the examples must fit the explanation.

Answer may have: Mention of leadership styles and different forms of group cohesion.

A-heads: Types of Groups

1. Describe the basic premise of structuration theory, paying particular attention to the duality of structure. Use structuration theory to explain the functioning of a real of hypothetical group and changes that came about (or might have come about) because of participants’ interactions.

Main theme: Structuration theory’s basic premise is that the way we communicate in the groups we belong to shapes the rules of those groups, which ultimately shape the way we behave in those groups.

Answer must have: Answers will vary, but there should be an accurate recitation of the tenets of the theory: a) Structures are the rules and resources produced from people’s interactions involved in the production and reproduction of social systems, and b) there is a duality of structure; that is, all interactions in those settings use established structures and at the same time reproduce or reinforce those structures. What flows from there must make sense given these premises.

Answer may have: Mention of systems or systems theory and discussion of people’s power to actually do what structuration theory says they can do.

A-heads: Dynamics of Group Structure