Chapter 8
Process
Intervention Skills
TEST QUESTIONS
True/False Questions
1. A new role of a manager will include having the ability to help the team become
better aware of how it operates.
2. Process skills are primarily used during the diagnostic stage of the OD program.
3. Process interventions are defined as helping the organization members understand
and act upon events that occur in their environment in order to improve the situation
4. A process intervention sometimes uses a sociogram to keep a record of who talks to
whom.
5. The roles group members act out will typically be carefully planned and designated
before a group meeting. The responsibility for making sure group members adhere to
their roles lies with the practitioner using process skills.
6. Group task functions include member behaviors that directly help the group solve its
task.
7. Group-building and maintenance functions include behaviors that satisfy the
individual needs of a group member and are inconsequential to the task of the group.
8. Effective groups are able to identify problems, examine possible actions, and make
decisions.
9. Group consensus is the ideal method for a group to use in decision making. It,
however, is one of the most difficult methods that can be used by a group to reach a
decision.
10. Group norms are usually dysfunctional as they inhibit members from expressing
themselves honestly. As a result, poorer quality group decisions are made.
11. It is not unusual at all for groups to have both formal and informal leaders. In fact, it
is common for the leadership function to be shared by a number of group members.
12. Process interventions are varied but the interventions never involve the practitioner in
the task of the group.
13. The manager using process interventions helps the group make decisions by
resolving any tie votes.
14. The practitioner using process skills should make an effort to avoid helping the group
understand the impact that leadership styles have upon the group.
15. Nonverbal communication should not be used in process interventions as this type of
communication is not as specific as the words a speaker uses.
16. The feelings of the speaker are rarely expressed in words but are often communicated
by the tone of voice, body posture, and facial expression. It is therefore important for
the practitioner using process skills to use these clues in listening.
17. An example of a process skill is to reflect feelings back to the speaker such as, “You
seem disturbed by what has been said.”
18. Coaching and counseling are normally not appropriate interventions for a manager to
make.
19. Process skills, because of their delicate and personal nature, should be used only by
the manager or practitioner and not group members.
20. One of the better methods to learn how to give process observations is through
observing someone else giving process observations.
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21. The objective of process interventions is for the manager or practitioner to be as open
and honest with the group members as possible, even though they may not always be
ready or willing to listen to the manager or practitioner.
22. When a manager makes a structural suggestion, he or she puts forward ideas on how
the work flow can be organized.
23. Process interventions are widely used by OD practitioners though their use by
managers and leaders has rarely been reported.
24. The results of process interventions have been well documented largely because of
the relative ease of measuring results associated with this type of intervention.
Multiple-Choice Questions
25. Process interventions can best be defined as _____.
a. a set of activities the practitioner can use to better diagnose the client’s
problems
b. the practitioner helping the client to understand and act upon process
events
c. a method used by most practitioners to make better decisions for the
client
d. a set of data collection techniques such as a survey or questionnaire
e. answers a and c
26. One of the purposes of process interventions is to _____.
a. solve the problem in the briefest period of time
b. develop the best possible technical solution to the problem
c. help the work group learn to identify and solve its own problems
d. obtain as much technical information as possible about the problem
e. answers b and d
27. Process interventions when used by a manager or leader _____.
a. help a work group to learn to diagnose and solve its own problems
b. solve the problem for the group
c. should be used only in the diagnostic phase of an OD program
d. have been carefully researched and shown to be statistically effective
e. both c and d
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28. What area(s) does the manager or practitioner using process interventions deal with
that are crucial to effective organization performance?
a. leadership styles of group members
b. communications processes within a group
c. group norms and whether they are helpful or dysfunctional
d. roles which individual members play in a group
e. all of the above
29. Content and process can be contrasted in that _____.
a. process emphasizes the correctness of a group decision and content
emphasizes the physical location of the group when the decision was
made
b. process is when the group does their work and content is what the
group does
c. content is specific information about a group and process is general
information
d. content is the process of group behavior
e. content is what a group does and process is the how the group does
their work
30. Which of the following is least involved with process interventions?
a. leadership
b. member roles
c. group problem solving
d. analyzer-style practitioner
e. communication
31. Which of the following areas does an OD practitioner using process interventions
NOT participate?
a. making group decisions
b. understanding the impact of leadership styles
c. helping group members understand how they make decisions
d. observing patterns of communications
e. helping the group make decisions by conducting fair voting on group
decisions
32. In analyzing communication processes within a group, a manager _____.
a. tries to control who talks to whom
b. makes a diligent effort to make sure no one is interrupted
c. sometimes makes a record of who talks to whom
d. makes sure all members make eye contact with one another
e. all of the above
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33. When a group member asks questions of clarification and seeks information, he or
she is performing a(n) _____ function.
a. maintenance
b. initial
c. task
d. problem-solving
e. investigative
34. Member behaviors that directly help the group solve its problem _____.
a. include harmonizing and compromising behavior
b. are maintenance functions
c. are not appropriate member roles
d. should be practiced primarily by the formal leader
e. are referred to as task functions
35. Example(s) of maintenance functions include _____.
a. seeking and giving opinions
b. asking questions of clarification
c. testing for group consensus
d. harmonizing and encouraging
e. suggesting the goal of the group
36. Group consensus as a method for making group decisions _____.
a. is the same thing as majority rule
b. results in a decision that all members can support
c. is not effective
d. is relatively easy to obtain
e. is normally obtained when the formal leader exercises enough power
and influence
37. In acting the playboy, _____.
a. a group member shows a lack of involvement through horseplay and
cynicism
b. one calls attention to their self through telling stories about their
accomplishments
c. a member seeks information from other members
d. a member is trying to take the leadership away from the practitioner
using process skills
e. a member is harmonizing and compromising other’s behavior in order
to better develop their ideas
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38. By group members understanding their own norms, they _____.
a. know how valuable a formal leader can be
b. can reach decisions in less time
c. can better use member talents
d. do not need to practice listening
e. can effectively remove disagreements among group members
39. The leadership functions in an effective group _____.
a. will probably be shared
b. rests with the formal leader
c. should be given to a different person at each meeting
d. will probably not exist
e. requires a strong, authoritative person
40. An example of a clarifying response is, “_____”.
a. Marc, you seem to be upset by what Lois has said.
b. Leslie, do I understand you correctly to say…?
c. Has everyone noticed how all of us have gotten interested over Mario’s
suggestion?
d. It seems to me that the meeting has been very productive today.
e. all of the above
41. The types of process interventions that may be used include _____.
a. reflecting feelings
b. providing instructions on how to do a task
c. practicing democratic principles by taking a vote to determine how the
group will decide
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
42. Which of the following practice is used in process interventions?
a. selective perception
b. presenting judgments to the speaker
c. providing methods of improvement to the speaker
d. telling the speaker how to solve the problem
e. empathizing with the speaker
43. It is important for the manager or practitioner to reflect back feelings to the speaker
as it _____.
a. builds positive relations with the speaker
b. allows the practitioner to suggest better ways for the speaker to handle
his or her problems
c. improves the speaker’s public speaking ability
d. helps the speaker to learn to solve his or her problems
e. answers c and d
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44. Process interventions involve which one of the following?
a. encouraging the listener to speak concisely
b. feeding back the feeling and content of the speaker
c. listening and feeding back the precise message
d. telling the speaker how to improve his or her delivery
e. answers a and d
45. To make effective process interventions, the practitioner may _____.
a. not say anything and let the group develop their own working
relationships
b. allow the group to avoid looking at process issues
c. require the group to stop work every half hour to deal with process
issues
d. set up a meeting in which only process issues are discussed
e. encourage the group to deal only with content issues
46. Feedback of observations may occur _____.
a. during the meeting and at the time of the observation
b. to individuals so the entire team can benefit from the observation
c. any time the manager believes that it is important to correct
inappropriate team or individual behavior
d. all of the above
e. answers b and c
47. In feeding back process observations, the practitioner _____.
a. should remember to be honest and give the group all the feedback that
has been obtained
b. should share all relevant information with the group
c. should act as an expert and present the information as the practitioner
sees it
d. will need to make the group feel good
e. should be assured the client is ready for the feedback
48. Which of the following about process interventions is FALSE?
a. The manager should avoid taking over the meetings.
b. An objective is to help the group members become active participants
in solving their own problems.
c. It is one of the most widely used OD practitioner skills.
d. Process interventions should be used primarily by a trained OD
practitioner.
e. An objective of process interventions is to help the group become
aware of how it operates.
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Essay Questions
49. Explain the five areas of group process that process interventions deal with.
(a) Communications – helps the group by analyzing communication patterns,
frequency, and interruptions of individuals.
(b) Member roles and functions – helps group members become aware of group task
functions, group building and maintenance functions, and individual functions.
(c) Problem solving and decision making – helps the group understand how the group
makes decisions and the consequences of each method of decision making.
(d) Group norms and growth – helps the group understand its own norms and whether
these are helpful or dysfunctional.
(e) Leadership and authority – helps the group understand the impact of leadership.
50. How do task and maintenance functions differ?
Task functions are those member functions or roles that pertain to directly helping
the group solve its task. Examples include asking questions of clarification and
suggesting the goal of the group. Maintenance functions on the other hand are those
behaviors that help the group grow and improve interpersonal relationships between
members. The functions do not directly influence the task of the group. Examples
of maintenance functions include encouraging other group members to speak and
encouraging members to work more harmoniously with one another.