The more communication flows through fewer members of the team, the higher the degree of
- cohesion.
- divisiveness.
- social loafing.
- centralization.
- interpersonal conflict.
Centralization is the degree to which the communication in a network flows through some members rather than others. The more communication flows through fewer members of the team, the higher the degree of centralization.
Centralization: Refers to where decisions are formally made in organizations.
A small outdoor athletic footwear company, Choose-to-Reuse Shoes, prides itself on its "green" image. Twice a year, the company puts out a call to its customers, telling them that if they send in a used pair of shoes in workable condition, they will receive a coupon good for 50 percent off a new pair. The company then repackages the shoes and ships them to three different international charities. This year Jenna, the VP of marketing, has been asked to take charge of the project. If she were to use the principles of network structure, which approach would Jenna take to maximize the efficiency of the charitable effort?
- set up a competition between departments to see who can collect the most shoes
- ask the department heads to oversee their employees' contributions to the overall effort
- make employees responsible for collecting, packaging, and shipping their own charity packages
- outsource the work to a logistics company that will handle the collection and distribution at another location
- name one employee to coordinate the effort and have the group channel all its communications through that person
One way to understand communication in teams composed of more than two people is to consider the concept of network structure, which is defined as the pattern of communication that occurs regularly among each member of the team. The more communication flows through fewer members of the team, the higher the degree of centralization. Quite a bit of research on this topic suggests that network structure has important implications for team effectiveness, though those implications depend on the nature of the team's work. On the one hand, when the work is simple and straightforward, as in the example, a centralized structure tends to result in faster solutions with fewer mistakes. On the other hand, when the work is complex and difficult to understand, a decentralized structure tends to be more efficient.
Network Structure: The pattern of communication that occurs regularly among each member of a team.
If you say that the information richness of a communication process is high, it means that the
- amount of noise in the communication process is high.
- amount and depth of information getting transmitted in the communication process is high.
- sender is encoding unnecessary information in the communication process.
- receiver is unable to decode the information encoded by the sender.
- receiver is transmitting an overload of feedback to the sender.
Information richness is the amount and depth of information that gets transmitted in a message.
Information Richness: The amount and depth of information that is transmitted in a message.
The highest level of information richness is achieved when messages are transmitted through
- phone calls.
- instant messages.
- handwritten letters.
- audio-visual displays.
- face-to-face channels.
Information richness is the amount and depth of information that gets transmitted in a message. Messages that are transmitted through face-to-face channels have the highest level of information richness because senders can convey meaning through not only words but also their body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
Information Richness: The amount and depth of information that is transmitted in a message.
Daryl, the warehouse manager for Everything Paper, Inc., tells Hailey and Roberta that three pallets of paper need to be taken to the warehouse. Hailey and Roberta move the three pallets from the loading dock onto the warehouse floor. Afterwards, Roberta tells Hailey, "That was fast. Time for a break!" But Hailey says, "Not so fast. We need to move the boxes of paper from the pallets to the shelves." Roberta responds, "Daryl just said to move them to the warehouse. He didn't say where in the warehouse to put them." Hailey cautions, "Yeah, but every other time he's asked us to take pallets to the warehouse, we've put the boxes on the shelves." Roberta says, "If he'd wanted us to do that he should have told us so." Roberta and Hailey's confusion is a result of Daryl's
- high information richness.
- low emotional intelligence.
- high emotional intelligence.
- low communication competence.
- high communication competence.
The communication process may suffer if the participants lack communication competence, which refers to the skills involved in encoding, transmitting, and receiving messages.
Communication: The process by which information and meaning is transferred from a sender to a receiver.
Which type of network structure in communication has the lowest degree of centralization?
- all-channel network
- circle network
- Y network
- wheel network
- X network
The all-channel network structure is highly decentralized. Every member can communicate with every other member.
Network Structure: The pattern of communication that occurs regularly among each member of a team.
Which two network structures fall between the extremes in terms of the level of centralization?
- all-channel networks and circle networks
- circle networks and wheel networks
- Y networks and wheel networks
- circle networks and Y networks
- all-channel networks and wheel networks
The all-channel network structure is highly decentralized. Every member can communicate with every other member. The wheel network structure is highly centralized because all the communication flows through a single member. The circle and Y network structures fall between the extremes in terms of the level of centralization.
Network Structure: The pattern of communication that occurs regularly among each member of a team.
In communication, the ________ network is the most effective for teams handling complex tasks.
- all-channel
- circle
- Y
- wheel
- Y and wheel
When work is complex and difficult to understand, the team can benefit if members have the ability to communicate with anyone on the team, as in an all-channel network, to get assistance or resolve problems.
Communication: The process by which information and meaning is transferred from a sender to a receiver.
Having a cell phone conversation at a busy construction site is difficult because of
- signal overload.
- signal confusion.
- signal competition.
- the presence of noise.
- information richness.
A factor that influences the communication process is the presence of noise that interferes with the message being transmitted. Depending on how the message is being transmitted, noise can take on several different forms.
The degree of centralization is higher in a network structure where more communication flows through fewer members.
In a network structure, the more communication flows through fewer members of the team, the higher the degree of centralization.
Noise increases the effort that communicators need to exert to make the communication process work.
If one of the two parties to the communication isn't willing to put in the extra effort to send and receive messages when there is noise, the conversation likely will not last very long.
Communication: The process by which information and meaning is transferred from a sender to a receiver.
Kelly has thought a lot about how to explain why she is quitting her job. Now that she has her thoughts in order, she is writing them down in a formal letter of resignation. Kelly is engaged in the decoding part of the communication process.
Kelly is involved in encoding her message. She is getting it ready to send. The decoding step in the communication process is done by the receiver.
Communications that reflect incompatibilities with respect to personal values or preferences reflect
- relationship conflict.
- goal specificity mismanagement.
- poor mission analysis.
- poor coordination.
- task conflict.
Relationship conflict refers to disagreements among team members in terms of interpersonal relationships or incompatibilities with respect to personal values or preferences. This type of conflict centers on issues that are not directly connected to the team's task. Relationship conflict is not only dissatisfying to most people, it also tends to result in reduced team performance.
Relationship Conflict: Disagreements among team members with regard to interpersonal relationships or incompatibilities in personal values or preferences.
________ can be beneficial to teams if it stimulates conversations that result in the development and expression of new ideas.
- Task conflict
- Relationship conflict
- Noise
- Groupthink
- Social loafing
Task conflict refers to disagreements among members about the team's task. This type of conflict can be beneficial to teams if it stimulates conversations that result in the development and expression of new ideas.
Task Conflict: Disagreements among members about the team’s task.
Conflict management is an action process.
Conflict management is an important interpersonal process. It involves activities that the team uses to manage conflicts that arise in the course of its work.
Which of the following is True about competency in conflict resolution?
- It coordinates and synchronizes activities among team members.
- It helps establish specific and difficult goals for the team.
- It understands communication networks.
- It can identify situations requiring participative problem solving.
- It can distinguish between desirable and undesirable conflict.
Competency in conflict resolution involves distinguishing between desirable and undesirable conflict.
Relationship Conflict: Disagreements among team members with regard to interpersonal relationships or incompatibilities in personal values or preferences.
According to research, task conflict results in increased team effectiveness irrespective of the trust in the team and the manner in which the conflict is managed.
Research findings indicate that task conflict tends to result in reduced team effectiveness unless several conditions are present. First, members need to trust one another and be confident that they can express their opinions openly without fear of reprisals. Second, team members need to engage in effective conflict management processes. Third, there's some evidence that task conflict may benefit teams only when they're composed in certain ways.
Task Conflict: Disagreements among members about the team’s task.
________ reflects the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members.
- Hierarchical sensitivity
- Social loafing
- Staff validity
- Groupthink
- Decision informity
Hierarchical sensitivity reflects the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members. Teams that make good decisions tend to have leaders who do a good job giving recommendations the weight they deserve.
Hierarchical Sensitivity: The degree to which the team leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members.
The marketing team of A.T. International was asked to develop the marketing strategy for the European market. Members of the team were provided with all the information required to make good recommendations to the leader but failed to deliver due to their lack of insight and poor judgment. This indicates that the marketing team had low
- decision informity.
- groupthink.
- staff validity.
- production blocking.
- social loafing.
Staff validity refers to the degree to which members make good recommendations to the leader. Team members can possess all the information needed to make a good recommendation but then fail to do so because of a lack of ability, insight, or good judgment.
Staff Validity: The degree to which team members make good recommendations to the team leader.
Leaders do a better job considering recommendations and making final decisions when they do it together with team members.
Leaders do a better job considering recommendations and making final decisions when they're away from the members of the team. Leaders who are separated don't have to deal with pressure from members who may be more assertive or better at articulating and defending their positions.
Team: Two or more people who work interdependently over some time period to accomplish common goals related to some task-oriented purpose.
Silas, Jerome, and Sasha are members of the marketing team at Widget Innovations, Inc. (WII), and are responsible for generating ideas for new marketing strategies. Silas has done a phenomenal job in gathering information necessary to help the team understand the desires and needs of the client. All things being equal, Sasha has the best record of making good recommendations to Alvaro, the vice president of marketing. Jerome can make some good recommendations, but sometimes his recommendations are completely off base. Usually, Alvaro pays careful attention to what Sasha has to say, but he generally does not pay much attention to what Jerome proposes. In addition to Alvaro, Sasha has been meeting with the vice president of operations and other members of the executive team to gain support for their request to increase the marketing budget. The decision-making records of Sasha and Jerome reflect which factor in effective decision making at WII?
- cohesion
- staff validity
- decision informity
- transactive memory
- hierarchical sensitivity
Staff validity refers to the degree to which members make good recommendations to the leader. Sasha has the best record of making good recommendations to Alvaro. Jerome can make some good recommendations, but sometimes his recommendations are completely off base.
Staff Validity: The degree to which team members make good recommendations to the team leader.
Which of the following refers to the degree to which members of the team make useful recommendations to the leader?
- social loafing
- staff validity
- hierarchical sensitivity
- groupthink
- decision informity
Staff validity refers to the degree to which members make good recommendations to the leader. Team members can possess all the information needed to make a good recommendation but then fail to do so because of a lack of ability, insight, or good judgment.
Staff Validity: The degree to which team members make good recommendations to the team leader.
Which three specific factors have been found to account for a team's ability to make effective decisions?
- groupthink, social loafing, and process rotation
- decision informity, staff validity, and hierarchical sensitivity
- transactive memory, transformative memory, and decision memory
- individual effort, team effort, and boundary spanning effort
- decision redundancy, social facilitation, and transactive memory
Three factors account for a team's ability to make effective decisions. The first factor is decision informity, which reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities. The second factor is staff validity, which refers to the degree to which members make good recommendations to the leader. The third factor is hierarchical sensitivity, which reflects the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members.
Decision Informity: The degree to which team members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities.
________ reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities.
- Staff validity
- Hierarchical sensitivity
- Boundary spanning
- Decision informity
- Groupthink
Decision informity reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities.
Decision Informity: The degree to which team members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities.
Silas, Jerome, and Sasha are members of the marketing team at Widget Innovations, Inc. (WII), and are responsible for generating ideas for new marketing strategies. Silas has done a phenomenal job in gathering information necessary to help the team understand the desires and needs of the client. All things being equal, Sasha has the best record of making good recommendations to Alvaro, the vice president of marketing. Jerome can make some good recommendations, but sometimes his recommendations are completely off base. Usually, Alvaro pays careful attention to what Sasha has to say, but he generally does not pay much attention to what Jerome proposes. In addition to Alvaro, Sasha has been meeting with the vice president of operations and other members of the executive team to gain support for their request to increase the marketing budget. Silas's action would contribute to which factor in effective decision making at WII?
- staff validity
- decision informity
- production blocking
- transactive memory
- hierarchical sensitivity
Decision informity reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities. Silas has done a phenomenal job in gathering information necessary to help the team understand the desires and needs of the client.
Decision Informity: The degree to which team members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities.
Daniel's team is working on a project to create an effective marketing campaign for a company that specializes in food processors. Daniel gathers all the necessary information to help his team understand the product and the desires and needs of the client. He then clearly explains the responsibilities of each member of the team. He is ensuring that his team has high
- process gain.
- internal variation.
- decision informity.
- nominal technique.
- hierarchical sensitivity.
Decision informity reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities.
Silas, Jerome, and Sasha are members of the marketing team at Widget Innovations, Inc. (WII), and are responsible for generating ideas for new marketing strategies. Silas has done a phenomenal job in gathering information necessary to help the team understand the desires and needs of the client. All things being equal, Sasha has the best record of making good recommendations to Alvaro, the vice president of marketing. Jerome can make some good recommendations, but sometimes his recommendations are completely off base. Usually, Alvaro pays careful attention to what Sasha has to say, but he generally does not pay much attention to what Jerome proposes. In addition to Alvaro, Sasha has been meeting with the vice president of operations and other members of the executive team to gain support for their request to increase the marketing budget. Alvaro's tendency to listen to Sasha and ignore Jerome reflects which factor in effective decision making?
- staff validity
- decision informity
- production blocking
- hierarchical sensitivity
- transition process gain
Hierarchical sensitivity reflects the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members. Alvaro pays careful attention to what Sasha has to say, but generally does not pay much attention to what Jerome proposes.
Hierarchical Sensitivity: The degree to which the team leader effectively weighs the recommendations of the members.