Team Building & Development Flashcards

A newly formed project team is experiencing confusion about roles and responsibilities. According to Tuckman's model, which stage are they most likely in?

Answer: Forming

In the Forming stage, team members are new, roles are unclear, and members rely heavily on the leader for direction.

Which conflict management approach is most effective when a team is in the Performing stage of development?

Answer: Collaborative problem-solving among members

High-performing teams have established trust and norms, making collaborative problem-solving the most effective conflict approach.

A team conflict manager notices subgroups forming along departmental lines. This phenomenon is best described as:

Answer: Faultline activation

Faultlines are latent dividing lines that split a group into subgroups based on shared attributes like department or tenure.

During a team retrospective, members consistently agree with the majority view to avoid conflict. A CCM should recognize this as:

Answer: Groupthink

Groupthink occurs when the desire for harmony overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives, suppressing dissent.

What is the primary purpose of a team charter in conflict prevention?

Answer: To establish shared norms, roles, and expectations before conflicts arise

A team charter proactively defines operating agreements, reducing ambiguity that often seeds conflict.

A CCM is asked to help a team improve psychological safety. Which action best supports this goal?

Answer: Encouraging members to voice concerns without fear of punishment

Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, hinges on members feeling safe to speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes.

Which team structure tends to generate the most interpersonal conflict due to dual reporting relationships?

Answer: Matrix structure

Matrix structures create dual reporting lines to both functional and project managers, generating role conflict and authority disputes.