Beebe/Beebe/Ivy Communication: Principles for a Lifetime, 6e Test Bank
TB_Q9.69 What are individual roles?
Answer: These are roles that do not help the group; they focus attention on individual
accomplishments rather than the group.
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.70 Explain the difference between a rule and a norm.
Answer: Rules are explicit prescriptions for appropriate behavior in the group. They are
usually communicated clearly to group members either verbally or in writing. Norms are
general standards of appropriate or inappropriate behavior, or expectations that are not
as clearly spelled out. They are not written down or verbalized. They are based upon
what people have experienced in other groups as well as behavior that occurs naturally
when group members interact.
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q9.71 Explain the difference between monochronic and polychronic time
perspectives.
Answer: Monochronic time perspective refers to individuals who are more likely to
develop norms to do only one thing at a time, to pay attention to deadlines and
schedules, and to make plans to use time efficiently. Polychronic time perspective refers
to people who make plans to do many things at a time, who don’t worry about schedules
or deadlines, change plans frequently, and believe relationships are more important than
work. Many people from North America tend to be monochronic while people from the
Middle East tend to be polychronic.
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q9.72 Briefly describe primary and secondary tension.
Answer: Primary tension is the social discomfort that people feel in the early stages of
group membership. It is due to uncertainty about the group members and the group’s
goals. Secondary tension is conflict that emerges due to disagreements over social and
task issues.
Learning Objective: LO 9.3 Summarize the four stages of group and team development.
Topic: Group and Team Development
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.73 Briefly explain two assumptions about groups that would be different
between individualistic cultures and collectivistic cultures.
Answer: Generally, individualistic cultures place value on individuality. This value
produces several assumptions about group work: best decisions are made by
Beebe/Beebe/Ivy Communication: Principles for a Lifetime, 6e Test Bank
group meetings are often perceived as a waste of time.
Collectivist cultures value groups over individual members. Therefore, group
assumptions include: the most effective decisions are made by teams; planning is best
done by the entire group; groups should be rewarded, not individuals; individuals should
work for the team, not for themselves; teamwork is more important than competition;
meetings are for making group decisions; you get more accomplished in a group than
individually; the prime purpose of meetings is to reach a consensus; group meetings are
the best way to achieve a goal.
Learning Objective: LO 9.3 Summarize the four stages of group and team development.
Topic: Group and Team Development
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
9.4 Fill-in-the-Blank
TB_Q9.74 _____ is a type of group that exists to resolve an issue or overcome an
unsatisfactory situation.
Answer: Problem-solving
Learning Objective: LO 9.1 Describe types of groups and teams, differences between
groups and teams, concerns that confront real-life groups and teams, and when groups
and teams should be avoided.
Topic: Groups and Teams Defined
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.75 Examples of _____ roles are giving and seeking information in order to
help a group move toward its goal.
Answer: task
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.76 A harmonizer, compromiser, and gatekeeper are all examples of _____
roles.
Answer: social
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.77 If Carlos has power because people like him, he has _____ power.
Answer: referent
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.78 Joanna’s mother has decided that Joanna may drive the family car only
after she has cleaned the upstairs part of the house. Joanna’s mother is using
_____ power.
Answer: reward
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.79 The degree of attraction that members of a group feel toward one
another and the group is _____.
Answer: cohesiveness
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.80 _____ refers to an individual’s importance and prestige.
Answer: Status
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.81 When people receive messages from one person at a time, they are
utilizing the _____ communication interaction pattern.
Answer: chain
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.82 As developed by Aubrey Fisher, the first stage of group and team
development is called _____.
Answer: orientation
Learning Objective: LO 9.3 Summarize the four stages of group and team development.
Topic: Group and Team Development
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
TB_Q9.83 As group members become more comfortable about expressing their
opinions, they may begin to experience disagreements over leadership or task
issues. This conflict is called _____.
Answer: secondary tension
Learning Objective: LO 9.3 Summarize the four stages of group and team development.
Topic: Group and Team Development
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
TB_Q9.84 Shelly and Jared are not liked by their work group because these two
always act superior and don’t give others in the group credit for their work. This
demonstrates a form of _____ conflict.
Answer: relational
Learning Objective: LO 9.3 Summarize the four stages of group and team development.
Topic: Group and Team Development
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
TB_Q9.85 The fourth phase of group interaction, in which group members express
positive feelings toward one another and toward the group is the _____ phase.
Answer: reinforcement
Learning Objective: LO 9.3 Summarize the four stages of group and team development.
Topic: Group and Team Development
Difficulty Level: Easy
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
9.5 Essay Questions
TB_Q9.86 Discuss leadership roles.
Answer: The role of leader, a person who influences others in the group, is a special
kind of role, and more than one person can assume it in a group. Leadership roles can
differ between/among individuals. Some leaders focus on assisting with the team’s task
and therefore assume more task roles to get the job accomplished. Other leaders
assume more social roles to help manage the quality of relationships in the group.
Usually, a person who assumes an individual, self-focused role doesn’t emerge as a
natural leader.
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q9.87 What does the text suggest as a way to balance group roles?
Answer: Some experts recommend a 60-40 balance between task and social roles. In
general, more comments need to be about getting the work done than about having fun
or managing the social climate of the group. However, it is also important to make sure
there are good working relationships among group members. Conversely, an out–of–
balance group that focuses on just having a good time is not going to achieve its task
goals.
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q9.88 What are norms? What purpose do they serve for group members? How
can you recognize norms when you enter a group?
Answer: Norms are the standards that determine what are appropriate and
inappropriate behaviors in a group. Norms help group members understand what
behavior is appropriate, so they can fit in and work well within their group. For example,
how does the group deal with lateness, profane language, dress, or how members are
addressed? Norms can be productive or unproductive and should be monitored, so they
do not keep the group from operating effectively. You can recognize norms by observing
a group to see how members interact. It is also possible to recognize norms when they
are broken. The response to a member who violates a norm will correspond in severity
TB_Q9.89 Explain the difference between status and power. Give an example to
illustrate.
Answer: Status refers to whether or not a person is perceived to be important by other
group members. For example, Laura comes from a wealthy family and her father is an
important politician in her state. Therefore, she is perceived to be important or have high
status by other members of the student senate. Power, on the other hand, deals with the
ability to influence others’ behavior. Power and status often go together, but sometimes a
person can have status but not actually have strong influence in the group. Within
student government, Laura talks a lot, but is unable to influence other members because
she is interpersonally aloof. Other members don’t have a strong liking for Laura;
therefore, they often don’t follow her proposals.
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q9.90 Your book discusses five bases of power. Name and explain each of the
five, and give examples of how a supervisor in a professional setting might make
use of each type of power.
Answer: (1) Legitimate power is defined as influence that is conferred upon one by an
organization or group, either through election or appointment. Supervisors have
legitimate power because the organization they work for puts them in that position;
employees will probably assume that the supervisor will have a certain amount of
qualification (expert power) due to that assignment. (2) Referent power is influence that
one has when other people like or respect him or her. Supervisors who are liked by their
employees for their personal concern or who are admired for their professionalism, may
be said to have referent power. (3) Expert power is influence one has when others
perceive that he or she has specific knowledge or information about a given topic area. A
supervisor who is organized, clear, and able to answer questions concerning the job or
project may have expert power. (4) Reward power is the ability to influence behavior by
having the ability to provide something the other person values, or to remove something
undesirable. A supervisor may use the offer of time off or choice assignments as reward
power. (5) Coercive power is the ability to influence behavior through doing something
the other person finds undesirable, or by removing a reward. A supervisor may have the
ability to decrease pay, fire you from a job, or deny you time off.
Learning Objective: LO 9.2 Identify and describe group and team dynamics, including
roles, rules, norms, status, power, and cohesiveness.
Topic: Group and Team Dynamics
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It
TB_Q9.91 Explain the differences between task conflict, process conflict, and
relational conflict.
TB_Q9.92 Describe Fisher’s model of group interaction phases. List each of the
stages, and discuss what types of behaviors are common in each. Illustrate with
specific examples taken from one of your group experiences.
Answer: Orientation phase: the group has not yet developed particular norms and roles;
communication is nervous, polite, and tentative. Group members feel uncertainty about
each other and the group (primary tension). Conflict phase: the group members are
comfortable enough to express disagreements about important issues and/or leadership
in the group. Therefore, conflict increases noticeably as communication is primarily
persuasive (secondary tension). Emergence: the group has begun to finally make some
decisions; roles and norms are beginning to emerge. Conflict may occur, but is handled
through procedures the group may have established. Reinforcement: by now the group
is aware of the direction the group has taken. A successful group may celebrate; a group
that was not as successful as hoped may spend time rationalizing why.
Learning Objective: LO 9.3 Summarize the four stages of group and team development.
Topic: Group and Team Development
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Skill Level: Analyze It