Managing Quality: Integrating the Supply Chain, 6e (Foster)
Chapter 14 Managing Quality Improvement Teams and Projects
1) One of the biggest reasons why so many influential voices call for participation and teamwork
to manage businesses today is ________ in the workplace.
A) consanguinity
B) diversity
C) complexity
D) unity
E) simplicity
2) Knowledge work is effective when workers are given a certain amount of autonomy and
decision-making authority. Companies such as 3M encourage their employees to become more
________ in their approach to work.
A) entrepreneurial
B) conspiratorial
C) corporeal
D) surreal
E) competitive
3) Which of the following is a reason why employees like teams?
A) mutuality
B) recognition for personal achievement
C) belonging
D) creative autonomy
E) all of the above
4) In the context of quality teams, ________ is the need for mutual support and encouragement
between line management and project managers as well as personal loyalty of project managers
to their teams and organizations.
A) mutuality
B) recognition for personal achievement
C) belonging
D) bounded power
E) creative autonomy
5) In the context of quality teams, ________ is the opportunity for personal development as well
as recognition for personal achievement through rewards, incentives, or status.
A) belonging
B) recognition for personal achievement
C) mutuality
D) bounded power
E) creative autonomy
6) In the context of quality teams, ________ is the individual’s need for supportive, cohesive,
and friendly team relations.
A) mutuality
B) recognition for personal achievement
C) belonging
D) bounded power
E) creative autonomy
7) In the context of quality teams, ________ is the need for authority and control over project
resources and people, personal accountability and challenge, individuals’ abilities to influence
decisions that affect the project, and opportunities for personal growth and development.
A) recognition for personal achievement
B) creative autonomy
C) belonging
D) bounded power
E) mutuality
8) In the context of quality teams, ________ is the need for individuals to have opportunities to
use their creativity and potential during the course of a project and to enjoy good working
conditions.
A) mutuality
B) recognition for personal achievement
C) bounded power
D) belonging
E) creative autonomy
9) ________ means giving power to team members who perhaps had little control over their
jobs.
A) Needs analysis
B) Implicit promise
C) Empowerment
D) Trust
E) Quality improvement
10) Of the preconditions necessary for empowerment, ________ means employees must know
what is expected of them and be given authority over their own work.
A) clear authority and accountability
B) flattening hierarchies
C) adequate communication and information for decision making
D) responsibility with authority
E) organizational learning
11) Of the preconditions necessary for empowerment, ________ means employees should be
involved in planning related to their jobs.
A) clear authority and accountability
B) participation in planning at all levels
C) organizational learning
D) responsibility with authority
E) adequate communication and information for decision making
12) Of the preconditions necessary for empowerment, ________ means that if employees are to
make decisions related to their jobs, they need the right managerial information.
A) corporate learning
B) participation in planning at all levels
C) adequate communication and information for decision making
D) responsibility with authority
E) clear authority and accountability
13) Of the preconditions necessary for empowerment, ________ means that employees should
be given a definition of power that focuses on getting things done rather than exerting influence
over people.
A) adequate communication and information for decision making
B) participation in planning at all levels
C) clear authority and accountability
D) responsibility with authority
E) flattening hierarchies
14) ________ is the extent to which a follower has the ability and willingness to accomplish a
specific task.
A) Finesse
B) Sleekness
C) Effectiveness
D) Readiness
E) Quickness
15) ________ are high-powered teams assigned to work on a specific problem for a limited
amount of time.
A) Process improvement teams
B) Natural work groups
C) Tiger teams
D) Virtual teams
E) Cross-functional teams
16) ________ work to improve processes and customer service.
A) Process improvement teams
B) Cross-functional teams
C) Tiger teams
D) Natural work groups
E) Virtual teams
17) ________ enlist people from a variety of functional groups within the firm.
A) Process improvement teams
B) Cross-functional teams
C) Self-directed work teams
D) Natural work groups
E) Virtual teams
18) ________ are teams organized around a common product, customer, or service.
A) Process improvement teams
B) Self-directed work teams
C) Tiger teams
D) Natural work groups
E) Cross-functional teams
19) ________ are teams that rarely or never physically meet, except in electronic meetings using
group decision software.
A) Process improvement teams
B) Cross-functional teams
C) Tiger teams
D) Self-directed work teams
E) Virtual teams
20) ________ are identified as either little s or big S teams who have been chartered to work on
projects identified by team members with little managerial oversight.
A) Process improvement teams
B) Cross-functional teams
C) Tiger teams
D) Self-directed work teams
E) Virtual teams
21) ________ is helping or aiding teams by maintaining a process orientation and focusing the
group.
A) Meeting management
B) Team building
C) Facilitation
D) Brainstorming
E) Conceptualization
22) ________ is accomplished by following a process that identifies roles for team members and
then helps them to become competent in achieving those roles.
A) Brainstorming
B) Team building
C) Meeting management
D) Conflict resolution
E) Facilitation
23) Tools for successful ________ include an agenda, predetermined objectives for the meeting,
a process for running the meeting, processes for voting, and development of an action plan.
A) interaction
B) team building
C) meeting management
D) facilitation
E) conceptualization and orientation
24) The ________ is a flipchart or whiteboard where topics that are off the subject are parked
with the agreement that these topics will be candidates for the next meeting’s agenda.
A) project charter
B) flowchart
C) facilitation board
D) PERT chart
E) parking lot
25) The “parking lot” methodology was pioneered by ________.
A) GM
B) IBM
C) GE
D) HP
E) CIGNA
26) The formula used to calculate the payback period for qualifying projects is ________.
A) Ct = ∑ (Cd + Ci)
B) Ct = PP/Ba
C) PP = ∑ (Cd + Ci)
D) PP = Ct/Ba
E) Ba = Cd + Ci
27) Perform a cost-benefit analysis with payback period calculation using the following data:
Direct Costs
• 15 laptops—$1,850/each
• A server—$2,100
• Network installation—$16,500
• Software—$22,500
Indirect Costs
• Training—$10,000
Annualized Benefits
• Increased capacity—$250,000
A) Total costs are $52,950 with a payback period of 0.21 years.
B) Total costs are $52,950 with a payback period of 0.32 years.
C) Total costs are $108,250 with a payback period of 0.43 years.
D) Total costs are $78,850 with a payback period of 0.32 years.
E) Total costs are $78,850 with a payback period of 0.43 years.
28) Perform a cost-benefit analysis with payback period calculation using the following data:
Direct Costs
• 12 laptops—$1,400/each
• A server—$2,000
• Network installation—$14,000
• Software—$20,000
Indirect Costs
• Training—$15,000
Annualized Benefits
• Increased capacity—$200,000
A) Total costs are $37,400 with a payback period of 0.19 years.
B) Total costs are $37,400 with a payback period of 0.21 years.
C) Total costs are $52,400 with a payback period of 0.25 years.
D) Total costs are $52,800 with a payback period of 0.26 years.
E) Total costs are $67,800 with a payback period of 0.34 years.
29) Business is transforming itself from a “command and control” environment to one of
collaboration.
30) A team is defined as a finite number of individuals who are united in a common purpose.
31) In a study of project managers who were involved in project teams, two of the motivators
that emerged were creative autonomy and recognition for personal achievement.
32) Empowerment means giving power to team members who perhaps had little control over
their jobs.
33) The Baldrige criteria encourage employee participation.
34) Major challenges in the area of workforce development include the integration of human
resources practices and the alignment of human resource management with strategic change
processes.
35) Granting authority to employees guarantees that people will work well together and will
necessarily achieve all the lofty goals that are espoused in empowerment.
36) Organizational learning leads to change in organizational behavior in a way that reduces
performance.
37) Corporate learning relies on an open culture where no one feels threatened to expose
opinions or beliefs.
38) With fewer layers of management, companies tend to rely more on teams.
39) Quality professionals are unanimous: in order to be successful in achieving teamwork and
participation, strong leadership both at the company level and within the team is essential.
40) The situational leadership model clarifies the interrelation between employee preparedness
and effectiveness of leadership.
41) Readiness is a function of job maturity and psychological maturity.
42) Quality management is a vehicle by which leaders abdicate their responsibility.
43) The scope of a Tiger team is organization-wide.
44) The scope of a process improvement team is local or a single department.
45) The scope of a natural work group is customer- or region-centered.
46) A Big S self-directed team is involved in managing the different functions of the company
with a traditional management structure.
47) Effective meeting management is an important skill for a facilitator of quality improvement
teams.
48) Some of the meeting structured process techniques, such as silent voting and idea writing,
help team members reach consensus rapidly.
49) Only cost-benefits analysis (CBA) involves identifying direct and indirect project costs and
expected returns for projects.
50) Soft costs are easily recovered in project savings.
51) Force-field analysis is designed to identify and quantify all of the forces for or against
organizational change.
52) Why is knowledge work important in managing businesses today?
53) What are the responsibilities of leaders?
54) Briefly explain the situational leadership model.
55) Differentiate between little s or big S self-directed work teams.
56) Discuss the importance of meeting management in quality improvement of teams and list the
steps required for planning a meeting.
57) Discuss the differences between soft costs and hard costs when evaluating projects.
58) Perform a cost-benefit analysis with payback period calculation for a project where indirect
costs are $40,000, direct costs are $15,000, and annualized benefits are $55,000.