Questions for Review
9-1. What are the different types of groups?
Answer: A group is defined as two or more individuals, interacting and
interdependent, who have come together to achieve particular objectives. Groups
can be either formal or informal. It is possible to sub-classify groups as command,
task, interest, or friendship groups. A command group is determined by the
organization chart. It is composed of direct reports to a given manager. Task
Learning Objective: Distinguish between different types of groups
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
9-2. What are the key components of the punctuated-equilibrium model?
Answer: Temporary groups with deadlines have their own unique sequencing of
oTheir first meeting sets the group’s direction.
oThis first phase of group activity is one of inertia.
oA transition takes place at the end of this phase, which occurs exactly
Learning Objective: Describe the punctuated-equilibrium model of group development
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
9-3. How do role requirements change in different situations?
Answer: Different groups impose different role requirements of individuals.
Role Perception – An individual’s view of how he or she is supposed to act
Role Expectations – How others believe a person should act in a given
Psychological Contract – An unwritten agreement that sets out mutual
Role Conflict – A situation in which an individual is confronted by
Learning Objective: Show how role requirements change in different situations
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
9-4. How do group norms influence an individual’s behavior?
Answer: All groups have norms—acceptable standards of behavior that are
not to do under certain circumstances. Norms are important because they:
Facilitate the group’s survival.
Increase the predictability of group members’ behaviors.
There is considerable evidence that groups can place strong pressures on
individual members to change their attitudes and behaviors to conform to the
group’s standard. Status is a socially defined position or rank given to groups or
group members by others. We live in a class-structured society despite all
Learning Objective: Demonstrate how norms exert influence on an individual’s behavior
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
9-5. How do status and size differences affect group performance?
Answer: Group size does affect performance. More than 12 people are considered
a large group and seven or fewer are considered a small group. Groupthink is the
tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than
Learning Objective: Show how status and size differences affect group performance
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
9-6. How can cohesiveness and diversity support group effectiveness?
Answer: Cohesiveness is the degree to which group members are attracted to
each other and are motivated to stay in the group. Cohesiveness has been linked to
low. There are ways for managers to increase cohesiveness:
Make the group smaller.
Encourage agreement with group goals.
Increase time members spend together.
Diversity refers to the degree to which members of the group are similar to, or
different from, one another. Diversity appears to have a mixed impact on group
performance, with some studies suggesting that diversity can help performance
Learning Objective: Describe how issues of cohesiveness and diversity can be integrated for
group effectiveness
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
9-7. What are the strengths and weaknesses of group (versus individual) decision
making?
Answer:
Group Strengths:
oGenerate more complete information and knowledge
oOffer increased diversity of views and greater creativity
Group Weaknesses:
oTime-consuming activity
Learning Objective: Contrast the strengths and weaknesses of group decision making
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Analytical skills; Reflective thinking
Experiential Exercise
Surviving the Wild: Join a Group or Go It Alone?
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Contrast the strengths and weaknesses of group decision making
Learning Outcome: Describe best practices for utilizing groups and work teams in organizations
AACSB: Reflective thinking
You are a member of a hiking party. After reaching base camp on the first day, you decide
to take a quick sunset hike by yourself. After hiking a few exhilarating miles, you decide
to return to camp. On your way back, you soon realize that you are lost. You have
shouted for help, to no avail. It is now dark. And getting cold.
Your Task
Without communicating with anyone else in your group, read the following scenarios and
choose the best answer. Keep track of your answers on a sheet of paper. You have 10
minutes to answer the 10 questions.
9-8. The first thing you decide to do is to build a fire. However, you have no matches,
so you use the bow-and-drill method. What is the bow-and-drill method?
a. A dry, soft stick is rubbed between one’s hands against a board of supple
green wood.
9-9. It occurs to you that you can also use the fire as a distress signal. When signaling
with fire, how do you form the international distress signal?
a. 2 fires
b. 4 fires in a square
9-10. You are very thirsty. You go to a nearby stream and collect some water in the
small metal cup you have in your backpack. How long should you boil the
water?
a. 15 minutes
b. A few seconds
9-11. You are very hungry, so you decide to eat what appear to be edible berries. When
performing the Universal Edibility Test what should you do?
a. Do not eat for 2 hours before the test.
b. If the plant stings your lip, confirm the sting by holding it under your tongue
c. If nothing bad has happened 2 hours after digestion, eat half a cup of the plant
d. Separate the plant into its basic components and eat each component one at a
9-12. Next, you decide to build a shelter for the evening. In selecting a site, what do you
not have to consider?
a. It must contain material to make the type of shelter you need.
b. It must be free from insects, reptiles, and poisonous plants.
9-13. In the shelter that you built, you notice a spider. You heard from a fellow hiker
that black widow spiders populate the area. How do you identify a black widow
spider?
a. Its head and abdomen are black; its thorax is red.
b. It is attracted to light.
9-14. After getting some sleep, you notice that the night sky has cleared, and so you
decide to try and find your way back to base camp. You believe you can use the
North Star for navigation. How do you locate the North Star?
a. Hold your right hand up as far as you can and look between your index and
middle fingers.
b. Find Sirius and look 60 degrees above it and to the right.
9-15. You come across a fast-moving stream. What is the best way to cross it?
a. Find a spot downstream from a sandbar, as the water will be calmer.
b. Build a bridge.
9-16. After walking for about an hour, you feel several spiders in your pants. You don’t
feel any pain, but you realize some spider bites are painless. Which of these spider
bites is painless?
a. Black Widow
9-17. You decide to eat some insects. Which insects should you avoid?
a. Adults that sting or bite
b. Caterpillars and insects that have a pungent odor
*Correct answer
Group Task
Break into groups of five to six people. Now imagine that your whole group is lost.
Answer each question as a group, employing a consensus approach to reach each
decision. Once the group comes to an agreement, write the decision down on the same
sheet of paper that you used for your individual answers. You will have approximately 20
minutes for the group task.
Scoring Your Answers
Your instructor will provide you with the correct answers that are based on expert
judgments in these situations (www.wilderness-survival.net). Once you have received the
answers, calculate: (A) your individual score; (B) your group’s score; (C) the average
individual score in the group; and (D) the best individual score in the group. Write these
down, and consult with your group to ensure that these scores are accurate.
(A) Your individual score
(B) Your group’s score
(C) Average individual score in group
(D) Best individual score in group
Discussion Questions
9-18. How did your group perform (B) perform relative to yourself (A)?
9-19. How did your group perform (B) perform relative to the average individual score
in the group (C)?
9-20. How did your group perform (B) perform relative to the best individual score in
the group (D)?
9-21. Compare your results with those of other groups. Did some groups do a better job
of outperforming individuals than others?
9-22. What do these results tell you about the effectiveness of group decision making?
9-23. What can groups do to make group decision making more effective?
9-24. What circumstances might cause a group to perform worse than its best
individual?