Please answer each of the following questions concisely and completely; organize your response (500 words maximum for each question - but this is the upper bound - you may use much fewer), making it clear and to the point. Do NOT add unnecessary information – construct a well-reasoned position, rather than writing random bits of jargon.
Use paragraphs or, where appropriate, bulleted format to outline the main points of your response.
Completion of this exam is an individual assignment. As an "open book, open notes" exam, students may use their course reading materials and their own notes, but may NOT consult with others or use ~outside~ sources such as material from the internet during the exam.
DO use specific terms and points from the text, lectures, class notes, & exercises.
DO use your text, readings, and class notes DO NOT collaborate with anyone in constructing your answers; DO NOT use internet resources
Question 2
Teams meet both individual and organizational needs. Drawing on course concepts, explain why organizations adopt team structures, what needs teams fulfill for individuals, and how these needs connect to organizational effectiveness. Provide examples from class or your project team to illustrate your argument.
Question 3
Describe how the team tools, properly used, can help teams achieve collective goals through shaping individual efforts and group processes. Be specific and concise.
Question 4
Explain why problem behaviors emerge in teams and identify at least three specific guidelines (e.g., staffing practices, training, clear goals, peer evaluations, reward systems, role clarity, “shadow of the future,” etc.) that leaders can use to prevent or reduce these behaviors.
Then describe how one type of conflict (task, interpersonal, or process) tends to arise from these problem behaviors and when that conflict might become beneficial versus dysfunctional.
Question 5
Application: Your organization is about to pilot a new team development intervention (e.g., conflict-skills workshop, new meeting structure, peer-feedback tool, cross-team training).
You are responsible for designing the evaluation plan. Describe and explain:
- What the intervention is.
- What you would measure (process + outcome metrics).
- How you would know if the intervention had the intended impact, and if it did, how much impact occurred.
- Why these measures align with the intervention’s theory or hypothesis of change.
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How the results would inform scaling decisions.
Use a real-organization example to demonstrate your understanding.
Question 6
Application: You’ve been hired by a mid-size tech company to redesign its team performance appraisal process.
Drawing on course concepts, describe:
- Which criteria (behavioral? outcome? hybrid?) you would evaluate.
- How you would design the appraisal form and process to support fairness, accuracy, and team cohesion.
- How rewards should be structured (individual? team? blended?) to minimize social loafing while reinforcing interdependence.
Use a realistic organizational example to illustrate your choices.