Strategies for Professional Growth Quiz 1: 16 October 2022, Set QPF2 (September 2022 term)

Read the case study, then answer the given subquestions that follow in about 200-300 words each.
CASE INCIDENT
Negative Aspects of Collaboration?
Teams can perform well or poorly, which leaves an overriding question: Are collaboration's negative aspects so severe that we should avoid making decisions and working in teams?
Groups and teams need more time to process multiple pieces of information and coordinate what they know. Daniel Kahneman (Israeli-American psychologist, who was awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences) and colleagues also warn that when committees and groups make recommendations, they’ve often “fallen in love” with a particular idea and are no longer thinking rationally. These problems of biases can be magnified when a team of people are making a decision collectively. Look no further than the U.S. Congress in recent years to see instances where a group decision-making process might lead to a worse outcome than if one consistent course of action were pursued. So what can be done to minimize these biases? The problems of coordination and collaboration suggest that we should invoke team decision-making only when it appears that pooling information will lead to better decisions than individual decision-making. Experts advise that decision-makers receiving advice from teams should always ask whether the team’s recommendations contain any self-interested biases. It’s also important to see whether the team has developed an emotional attachment to one course of action or has succumbed to groupthink. Finally, run down a checklist of the heuristics and biases we’ve described earlier in the book to see whether the group might be prone to making these decision errors.

Think about a time when you’ve been in a team that had to make a collective decision that didn’t turn out well. Discuss what the team could have done differently to arrive at a decision that worked for the team and the individuals.

Read the case study, then answer the given subquestions that follow in about 200-300 words each.
CASE INCIDENT
Negative Aspects of Collaboration?
Teams can perform well or poorly, which leaves an overriding question: Are collaboration's negative aspects so severe that we should avoid making decisions and working in teams?
Groups and teams need more time to process multiple pieces of information and coordinate what they know. Daniel Kahneman (Israeli-American psychologist, who was awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences) and colleagues also warn that when committees and groups make recommendations, they’ve often “fallen in love” with a particular idea and are no longer thinking rationally. These problems of biases can be magnified when a team of people are making a decision collectively. Look no further than the U.S. Congress in recent years to see instances where a group decision-making process might lead to a worse outcome than if one consistent course of action were pursued. So what can be done to minimize these biases? The problems of coordination and collaboration suggest that we should invoke team decision-making only when it appears that pooling information will lead to better decisions than individual decision-making. Experts advise that decision-makers receiving advice from teams should always ask whether the team’s recommendations contain any self-interested biases. It’s also important to see whether the team has developed an emotional attachment to one course of action or has succumbed to groupthink. Finally, run down a checklist of the heuristics and biases we’ve described earlier in the book to see whether the group might be prone to making these decision errors.

Can you think of a type of decision that is probably better made by an individual than a team? Explain in your own words and give one example.

Read the case study, then answer the given subquestions that follow in about 200-300 words each.
CASE INCIDENT
Doing My Own Thing
Rita Lowe has worked for the same boss for 11 years. Over coffee one day, her friend Sara asked her, “What is it like to work for old Charlie?” Rita replied, “Oh, I guess it’s okay. He pretty much leaves me alone. I more or less do my own thing.” Then Sara said, “Well, you’ve been at that same job for 11 years. How are you doing in it? Does it look like you will ever be promoted? If you don’t mind me saying so, I can’t for the life of me see that what you do has anything to do with the operation.” Rita replied, “Well, first of all, I really don’t have any idea of how I am doing. Charlie never tells me, but I’ve always taken the attitude that no news is good news. As for what I do and how it contributes to the operation around here, Charlie mumbled something when I started the job about being important to the operation, but that was it. We really don’t communicate very well.”

Analyze Rita’s last statement: “We really don’t communicate very well.” What is the status of communication in this professional relationship?

Read the case study, then answer the given subquestions that follow in about 200-300 words each.
CASE INCIDENT
Doing My Own Thing
Rita Lowe has worked for the same boss for 11 years. Over coffee one day, her friend Sara asked her, “What is it like to work for old Charlie?” Rita replied, “Oh, I guess it’s okay. He pretty much leaves me alone. I more or less do my own thing.” Then Sara said, “Well, you’ve been at that same job for 11 years. How are you doing in it? Does it look like you will ever be promoted? If you don’t mind me saying so, I can’t for the life of me see that what you do has anything to do with the operation.” Rita replied, “Well, first of all, I really don’t have any idea of how I am doing. Charlie never tells me, but I’ve always taken the attitude that no news is good news. As for what I do and how it contributes to the operation around here, Charlie mumbled something when I started the job about being important to the operation, but that was it. We really don’t communicate very well.”

Give two examples of how the communication process can be improved and effective in this company. Discuss.

In October 2017, President Trump sought to deflect a news story reporting on links between his campaign and Russia by tweeting the following: “Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems (or all)?” Trump attempted to diffuse the situation by:

Select the statement that describes a growth mindset:

What is a distinguishing feature of a team?

What issues must a manager/ leader address when considering the composition of the team?

As per Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, intelligence includes:

Consider the following pairs:
1. Naturalistic Intelligence: Ability to recognize and understand the various patterns in nature 2. Spatial Intelligence: Capacity to perceive, understand and use visual information effectively 3. Intrapersonal Intelligence: Ability to understand others and social interactions 4. Interpersonal Intelligence: Ability to understand oneself and know one’s thoughts, emotions, feelings, motives and desires, and how these influence their behaviour. Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

According to Nick Morgan, which of the following is/ are regarded as a “second conversation”?

Julian Treasure studies sound and advises businesses on how best to use it. He has given the acronym RASA, which is the Sanskrit word for "juice" or "essence." Which one of the following expanded forms of the following acronyms is correct?

In people possessing a talent or innate intelligence mindset, what logical conclusion(s) can actually damage their success?

Which of the following individuals is not showing resilience?

Which of the following can help us in improving our listening skills and can benefit us in academic, professional, and personal contexts?
1. Make eye contact; focus on the person speaking; don't answer your phone or look at your email. 2. Eavesdropping to find out confidential information. 3. Self-absorbed listening; shift the focus back to yourself. 4. Removing the filters such as prejudice and cultural bias.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Which of the following statements best describes Kaizen?

Which of the following is not a Belbin Team Role?

Sensitivity to issues related to the meaning of life, death, and other aspects of human conditions refers to

Murat and Hayat were key members of a project team headed by Tuval. Murat was technically competent and understood the project requirements very well, but lacked self-confidence. Hayat, on the other hand, was very confident but lacked technical experience and expertise. As Tuval was required to take over another project immediately, Murat was selected as project leader, but Tuval continued to devote 20% of her time to this project. After 6 to 7 weeks of taking charge, Murat begins to feel that he requires some help with his leadership style as the project is getting behind schedule. Tuval decides to coach him using a collaborative style. Which of the following is the most appropriate approach?

Shaifali, the manager of a bookstore, prefers to directly point out others' mistakes. Some employees see her communication style as aggressive. Which of the following can cause such a conflict?

Trivikram and Abhinandan were in a conflict. Trivikram claimed he would give up part of his interests if Abhinandan gave up part of his. This is an example of what type of conflict management style?

Asking "Could you give me an example of what you mean?" is an example of which of the following active listening skills?

Emotional intelligence is characterised by

Nurit has worked very hard on developing an innovative new approach for carrying out a key project. This needs to be approved at a higher management level in the organization, but senior managers have so far given the idea no more than cursory attention. They have reluctantly agreed to Nurit's request for a meeting to discuss this matter. But Nurit has just found out that other agenda items have been subsequently included in that meeting, and so she is likely to get just 10 minutes to present her approach. She feels quite sure that senior managers don't feel inclined to change the existing methods, and are merely going through a ritual by making a short time allocation. She approaches you in an emotional and demoralized state. You have been her supervisor before. Though you work in a different part of the organization, she comes to you to be coached once in a while. What will you tell her?

Which of the following behavioural patterns would not be a good idea for building good interpersonal relationships at the workplace?

Being aware of and learning to manage one's own emotional triggers is a way of practising

The elements that are outside your control and that may concern or affect or interest you indirectly, such as war, pandemic, and economy; fall under

Consider the following statements regarding Emotional Intelligence:
1. Its presence increases the possibility of success in professional life only. 2. It has no relation to morality. 3. Its aim is to ensure increased influence on individuals or groups. 4. It concentrates on emotional aspects like intuition, conscience, perception,intention etc.
Which of the above statements is/are not correct?

Which of the following can be classified as ‘information overload’ type barriers to communication?

Studies show that family physicians that listen well produce better outcomes. Listening improves diagnoses, helps doctors see the context of psychological and social issues affecting patient health, and may even help avoid a lawsuit. What advice would you give about listening?

Which of the following statement(s) is/are correct about virtual teams?

The ‘spirit of the squirrel’ shows meanings of:

The Gung Ho! approach focuses on:

Communication misunderstandings can happen due to: