Chapter 10
Group Leadership and Problem Solving
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The primary function of leadership is to _______
2. _______ will arise as-needed to help the group meet challenges it faces.
3. In his group, Kevin tends to share his thoughts, offer new perspectives, and develop
innovative new ideas. Kevin is best described as
_______
4. A person following the recommendations in the text for gaining leadership _______
5. Which of the following statements about maintenance roles is accurate?
6. Group members may reach a stagnant point or be uncomfortable about sharing their ideas
and opinions. The task members who usually probe these people to prevent these problems
are _______
7. The person in a group who says, “We need to consider how this information affects the
outcome, so can you explain it a little more?” is behaving as _______
8. Someone who notices when a group is becoming stressed out either with one another or with
the task at hand and finds a way to mend communication or lighten the mood is a(n)
_______
9. The person in a group who says, “Dianne, that was a really good point you made” is behaving
as _______
10. The person in a group who says, “Grant, you’ve made some excellent contributions. Let’s see
whether others have any reflections on what you’ve said” is behaving as _______
11. When someone maintains neutrality in order to keep discussion focused on issues and not
personalities, this person is acting as a _______
12. The set of roles that are taken up by group members to provide logistical support, keep the
group focused, and record the group’s accomplishments are known as _______
13. A group member who keeps meetings moving to fit a given time-frame is acting as a
_______
14. Phyllis emails her group to let them know she found the “perfect space” for their next meeting.
She is acting as the
_______
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15. Phil is a participant in a meeting. During the meeting, he believes an idea is not being fully
explored, and he says, “I think we need to consider this point more. What about …” and offers
another perspective. Phil is _______
16. What should a participant do after a meeting?
17. Preparing for a meeting _______
18. After a meeting, a member should _______
19. Before a meeting, a group leader should do all of the following except _______
20. A good rule of thumb for the leader is to monitor roles within the group _______
21. Statements such as “I’ve heard five comments in favor of this proposal and three against. Are
we ready to take a vote?” are made to
_______
22. Statements such as “We’ve spoken on this topic for ten minutes. We have five more minutes
to discuss it before we have to move on to the next agenda item” are made to _______
23. Statements such as “I think most of us are stating the same points. Are we really in
agreement that . . .” are made to _______
24. After a meeting, a group leader should _______
25. In summarizing, the leader should _______
26. Which of the following is a criteria that can be used to determine whether a group decision
was a good one?
27. Which of the following is a criteria that can be used to determine whether an individual’s
participation and role behavior was effective?
28. _______ is a product of your work that is provided to someone else.
29. Before starting a major section of a project, Aja types up a one-page report that summarizes
the issue, major information about it, her group’s plan, and their rationale for doing what they
plan to do. She prints the document and gives it to her boss. This document is called
_______
30. Kwan creates a 16-slide PowerPoint presentation with bullet points and graphs that illustrates
his group’s progress. He posts it on a webpage that all project members and managers can
access. Kwan’s document is called _______
31. _______ is a structured problem-solving discussion held by a group in front of an audience.
32. A question asked to determine or judge whether something is right, moral, good, or just is a
question of _______
33. Which method of group decision making is best suited for a highly technical decision?
True/False Questions
1. Those who provide content for discussion are called information or opinion givers.
2. Harmonizers intervene in group discussions when they perceive that conflict may harm group
cohesiveness or individual relationships.
3. The only person who needs to prepare for a meeting is the group leader. (p. 238)
4. Informal leaders do not have legitimate power.
5. A written brief is an uncritical, non-evaluative process used to generate possible solutions by
being creative, suspending judgment, and combining or adapting ideas.
6. Diverse opinions within a group make it impossible to problem solve.
7. Effective groups periodically stop and evaluate how their interactions are affecting what they
are accomplishing.
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Essay Questions
1. You are the leader of a service group, and you need to have a meeting to discuss the last
service project and choose a new service project. Describe how you will prepare for the
meeting, noting at least three things your book says leaders should do to prepare for a
meeting.
2. Describe the five shared leadership responsibilities as they are outlined in the text. Why is it
important that everyone take part in the leadership of the group? Have you been in a group
where someone refused to take responsibility for their part of leading the group? What
happened?
3. A sorority house’s roof needs repaired, and the sorority members must find a way to fix it.
Identify each of the problem-solving steps your book lists and suggest an example of
something the sorority members could do in each step to solve this problem.
4. What role do you find yourself performing most often in groups? Why do you perform this role
so often? What do you offer your groups when you perform this role? What does performing
this role keep you from being able to do in the groups of which you are a member?
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