Developing Others Flashcards
In team environments, we must know the right approaches to building effective teams and cultivating a healthy, dynamic team spirit. What will influence every stage of team development and can ultimately determine whether goals are met? (13.1)
The spirit in which a team operates
Healthy teams are high-performing teams which have a foundation of trust, communication, and cooperation. While each is essential in building a healthy team spirit, what is at the core of all healthy team interaction? (13.1)
Trust
True or False? Team members must feel comfortable with and confident in one another to be able to fully participate. (13.1)
True
What behavior is essential for a team to accomplish its goals? (13.1)
Positive group member behavior
Team members do not often immediately form strong bonds for trust, communication, and cooperation. What do teams experience before rising to the level of becoming highly functional, productive teams? (13.1)
Stages
Teamwork require a high degree of what in order for team members to feel comfortable enough to take risks, think outside the box, and share their thoughts and ideas without fear of being shut down or discounted? (13.1)
Trust
Note: Team members must share mutual confidence in the integrity and ability of teammates.
What is the hallmark of a trust-based team? (13.1)
Freedom to communicate openly, honestly, and directly within the group
What must individuals understand to develop the level of trust needed for the teams to grow? (13.1)
The importance of utilizing effective communication skills
Note: “Nothing reduces trust in a group faster than members saying one thing within the group and something else outside the group. When members are assertive enough to say what they need to say directly to the appropriate people and to refrain from talking behind each other’s backs, trust is enhanced.” - Suzanne Zoglio, author of Teams at Work
What does the creation of trust among team members require? (13.1)
(a) Professional working relationships
(b) Professional behavior
(c) A desire to achieve established objectives
Dialogue and feedback must be exchanged between members in an open and sincere manner without fear of harsh criticism. How should team members respond to one another? (13.1)
(a) Inclusion
(b) Receptivity to inputs
(c) Information sharing
Feedback, critical thinking, and disagreements can be exchanged among team members without being brutally honest or offensive. How can leaders promote a trusting atmosphere? (13.1)
By valuing individual differences and encouraging open and honest communication
True or False? Leaders empower their teams to solve problems innovatively through a shared sense of collaboration that is free of self-preservation and personal bias. (13.1)
True
What should team leaders do to lead by example? (13.1)
(a) Focus their efforts on setting the right tone for developing trusting relationships
(b) Communicate openly and honestly
(c) Know and establish a good rapport with team members
(d) Discourage cliques or divisions within the team
Teams that don’t allow honest, open sharing quickly lose their effectiveness. What can result from this? (13.1)
Some team members may purposely withhold vital information or disengage from the team. This may cause confusion, frustration, and the inability to complete tasks within teams.
Sharing information between team members is essential in producing effective, well thought-out plans. Leaders must be willing to share information with team members. When leaders hold on to information, what can this create? (13.1)
An inaccurate, incomplete, or totally wrong picture of the expected outcome to team members
How can leaders increase team success? (13.1)
(a) Giving members complete access to all necessary data
(b) Discouraging the discounting of ideas and feelings
(c) Encouraging the practice of active listening and valuing individual differences
What is critical if teams are to combine diverse backgrounds, skills, and approaches to meet challenges, customer requirements, and mission changes? (13.1)
Cooperation
What yields synergistic results and reduces the exerted effort it takes to reach a desired outcome? (13.1)
Cooperation
What do leaders encourage that shows team members that others have very important contributions to the goals of the team? (13.1)
Cooperation
Note: Team members may also come to understand how dependent they are on one another in reaching mission objectives.
What is a sign among team members that a team is NOT performing cohesively? This may be observed when some team members attempt to outshine others to gain extra attention or credibility. (13.1)
Competition
Note: Cooperation breeds shared ownership for performance results, and achieving objectives increases team pride and a healthy team spirit.
When a member of a team demonstrates “all-starring” behavior, they may be experiencing a power struggle. What should leaders do to reduce power-play behavior? (13.1)
Reemphasize each team member’s specific roles and responsibilities, which eliminates potential barriers to cooperation
Note: Successful teams have few turf wars, little competitiveness, and an ability to forgive and forget.
What are the four stages (in order) most often experienced by teams? (13.2)
(1st) Forming
(2nd) Storming
(3rd) Norming
(4th) Performing
Which team development stage is the initial period of uncertainty in which individuals try to determine their place on a team and establish or accept the procedures and rules of the team? (13.2)
Forming
In which team development stage do members cautiously explore the boundaries of acceptable group behavior in various ways? (13.2)
Forming
Which team development stage is when the transition from individual to member status occurs and when a leader’s guidance is tested, both formally and informally? (13.2)
Forming
During which team development stage do conflicts begin to arise as members tend to resist the influence of the team and rebel against accomplishing the task? (13.2)
Storming
Which team development stage is probably the most difficult stage when some team members begin to realize the task is different and more difficult than they initially expected? (13.2)
Storming
Impatient about the lack of progress, but still too inexperienced to know much about decision-making or the scientific approach, members argue about just what actions the team should take. Which team development stage is this? (13.2)
Storming
Team members may try to rely solely on their experience, thus resisting the need for collaboration with other team members. Regardless of tensions, team members are beginning to understand one another. In which team development stage is this occurring? (13.2)
Storming
During which team development stage do team members establish cohesiveness and commitment, discovering new ways of working together and setting norms for appropriate behavior? (13.2)
Norming
During which team development stage do members reconcile competing loyalties and responsibilities and begin to accept the team, team ground rules (norms), their roles in the team, and the individuality of fellow members? (13.2)
Norming
Emotional conflict is reduced as competitive relationships become more cooperative. As the team begins to work out their differences, they focus more time and energy on the team objective. Which stage of team development is this? (13.2)
Norming
In which team development stage does the team develop proficiency in achieving its goals and become more flexible in its patterns of working together? (13.2)
Performing
By which team development stage has the team settled its relationships and expectations and can begin diagnosing and solving problems and choosing and implementing changes? (13.2)
Performing
In which team development stage have team members discovered and accepted each other’s strengths and weaknesses and learned and embraced their roles? The team can be considered to be an effective, cohesive, and productive unit. (13.2)
Performing
What is inevitable in every organization, and is often necessary to reach high levels of performance? (13.3)
Conflict
What involves differences between parties that result in interference or opposition? (13.3)
Conflict
Note: Such differences can motivate for positive change or decrease productivity.
Which conflict results in addressing problems for a solution, greater understanding, and enhanced communication between individuals or groups? (13.3)
Positive conflict
True or False? Conflict can be constructive when managed effectively. (13.3)
True
When does conflict become destructive? (13.3)
When it results in barriers to cooperation and communication, thus degrading morale and diverting attention away from tasks
At times, managers tend to avoid conflict because of its negative repercussions; however, how does managing it effectively benefit the organization? (13.3)
By reducing ambiguity and stimulating productivity
True or False? Conflict is defined as frustration of an important concern, whether real or perceived. (13.4)
True
Many factors may result in or increase the probability of conflict within an organization. Why is it difficult to identify the specific source of the conflict among these factors? (13.4)
These factors manifest themselves in combination with other factors
From which situational factors does conflict often originate? (13.4)
(a) Communication Factors
(b) Structural Factors
(c) Personal Behavior Factors
Communication often gets the blame for problems that occur in the workplace; however, what is the real crux of the problem more likely to be? (13.4)
Miscommunication
Note: For example, communication may be occurring, but when the communication is misinterpreted, inaccurate, or incomplete, this leads to frustration and stress. For personnel to perform at their very best, they need constructive, comprehensible, and accurate information.
True or False? The more people interact, the less noticeable their differences become. (13.4)
False
Note: It is likely that the larger the organization, the more people there will be to potentially cause and participate in conflict.
What, whether scarce or under high demand, may generate conflict as each party postures to compete for it? (13.4)
Resources
What should leaders encourage employees to do? (13.4)
(a) Challenge the status quo
(b) Seek better ways of doing business
(c) Continually improve processes
What can potentially encourage and develop a healthy competition as long as they aren’t perceived as unfair, unjust, or biased in some way? (13.4)
Rewards programs
What is one part of why dealing with line-staff distinctions can lead to disputes? (13.4)
Partly because although people may attempt to participate, it does not necessarily mean their contributions are heard, valued, or accepted
What can arise because of individual differences, such as goals and objectives, perceptions, values, and personalities? (13.4)
Conflict
Note: Differences can be perceived as threats, weaknesses, or stressors in the workplace.
How may Airmen be more aptly willing to change, set aside self-interests, listen to the ideas of others, and reduce conflict? (13.4)
If Airmen align their personal needs and values with the overall USAF mission
True or False? Striving to align personal values with USAF values can increase conflict that arises based on differences that exist in the workplace. (13.4)
False
What can be perceived as threats, weaknesses, or stressors in the workplace? (13.4)
Differences
What can focusing on diversity through strengths that contribute to the organization in different ways serve to reduce? (13.4)
Criticism and conflict
True or False? Addressing issues through a realistic or even positive perspective rather than addressing them through emotional perspectives will lead to more arguments and less professionally driven performance. (13.4)
False
Note: Personality conflicts and differences among employees will always exist, but the way we respond to them does not have to be unprofessional or disruptive to the organization.
When considering the degree of cooperation, and the degree of assertiveness of those involved, leaders can determine how to categorize conflict and how to best manage it. To what do cooperation and assertiveness refer? (13.5)
(a) Cooperation refers to how willing or unwilling a person or group is to satisfy the other’s needs
(b) Assertiveness refers to how passive or active a person is in addressing the conflict
Based on the levels of cooperation and assertiveness associated with any given situation, Dr. Kenneth Thomas uses five major conflict management styles. What are they? (13.5)
(1) Competing (Forcing)
(2) Collaborating
(3) Accommodating
(4) Avoiding
(5) Compromising
Which conflict management style attempts to overwhelm an opponent with formal authority, threats, or the use of power? It is high assertiveness and low cooperativeness. (13.5)
Competing (forcing)
Which conflict management style uses an attempt to satisfy the concerns of both sides through honest discussion? It is high assertiveness and high cooperativeness. For it to be successful, trust and openness are required of all participants. (13.5)
Collaborating
Which conflict management style involves behavior that seeks a ‘win’ position for both groups? (13.5)
Collaborating
Which conflict management style often simply consists of giving in to another person’s wishes? It is low assertiveness and high cooperativeness. (13.5)
Accommodating
Which conflict management style appears to indicate a neutral position of participants which can often lead to ‘things working themselves out,’ but can also result in an escalation of a situation by allowing it to go unresolved? It is low assertiveness and low cooperativeness. (13.5)
Avoiding
Which conflict management style requires a willingness of both parties to change, adjust, or give something up? It involves behavior that seeks to partially satisfy both parties’ desires and resolves the conflict. It uses some assertiveness and some cooperativeness. (13.5)
Compromising
When considering each of the conflict management styles, what is considered to determine the best approach to take to resolve conflict? (13.5)
(a) The who
(b) The stakes
(c) The situation
True or False? Leadership is an ability we can all develop, cultivate, and expand upon. (13.6)
True
What, as a moral quality put into action through a command or leadership role, can serve to move mountains, or move people over, around, or through mountains, whichever is required? (13.6)
Leadership
Leading in the Air Force can be recognized as the art and science of accomplishing the Air Force mission by motivating, influencing, and directing Airmen. What two central elements are highlighted? (13.6)
(1) Mission, objective, or task to be accomplished
(2) Airmen who will accomplish it
What is the observing and studying of the methods and understanding of what leadership is called? (13.6)
Science of leadership
What, being personal and subjective, refers to the demonstration and application of leading? (13.6)
Art of leadership
Under Warren G. Bennis model, leaders motivate and inspire people to interact and understand one another as they move in the right direction by satisfying human needs for a sense of belonging (belongingness and love), recognition (esteem), self-esteem (esteem), and control over their lives (safety and security) which can lead to a sense of achievement (self-actualization). What three primary behavioral leader characteristics did he note as important under this model? (13.7)
(1) Motivate
(2) Develop
(3) Inspire
What does Abraham Maslow’s theory on the Hierarchy of Needs outline? (13.7)
Basic requirements that must be achieved before ultimately reaching self-actualization or fulfilling your highest potential
Whose theory states in order to attempt success at one level, one must be successful in the previous? For example, if you are hungry or thirsty (physiological needs), you will not be able to focus on building relationships (belongingness) until you locate food and water. (13.7)
Abraham Maslow
An individual who is concerned about being kicked out of the Air Force (security) will not be able to focus on striving for achievements, which will ultimately prevent him from reaching his full potential (self-actualization). From which theory is this derived? (13.7)
Abraham Maslow theory on the Hierarchy of Needs