CBC Team Building & Development 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During the norming stage of team development, what is the coach's most appropriate focus?
- Reinforcing emerging norms and strengthening collaboration (Correct answer)
- Introducing maximum conflict to test resilience
- Assigning blame for earlier disputes
- Disbanding underperforming subgroups
Correct answer: Reinforcing emerging norms and strengthening collaboration
In norming, cohesion and standards emerge, so the coach should reinforce productive norms and deepen collaboration.
Question 2: A coach notices one team member's effort drops significantly when working in the group compared to working alone. This is best described as:
- Social loafing (Correct answer)
- Burnout
- Groupthink
- Role enrichment
Correct answer: Social loafing
Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to exert less effort in a group where individual contributions are less identifiable.
Question 3: Which intervention best helps a team whose members have complementary skills but duplicate each other's work?
- Clarifying roles and responsibilities using a RACI matrix (Correct answer)
- Increasing team size
- Scheduling more social events
- Replacing the team leader
Correct answer: Clarifying roles and responsibilities using a RACI matrix
A RACI matrix clarifies who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, eliminating duplicated effort.
Question 4: In team coaching, what distinguishes coaching the team as a system from coaching individual members?
- The focus is on collective dynamics, interactions, and shared goals rather than personal development (Correct answer)
- The coach must meet each member privately first
- It requires the team leader to be excluded
- It always uses psychometric testing
Correct answer: The focus is on collective dynamics, interactions, and shared goals rather than personal development
Systemic team coaching treats the team as one entity, targeting its collective dynamics and shared outcomes.
Question 5: A cross-functional project team is disbanding after successfully completing its mission. Which Tuckman stage applies, and what should the coach facilitate?
- Adjourning; a review of lessons learned and recognition of achievements (Correct answer)
- Forming; introductions and icebreakers
- Storming; conflict mediation
- Norming; establishing ground rules
Correct answer: Adjourning; a review of lessons learned and recognition of achievements
Adjourning is the closure stage where the coach should facilitate reflection, celebration, and knowledge capture.
Question 6: Which behavior by a team leader most directly builds trust according to team development research?
- Admitting mistakes and showing vulnerability (Correct answer)
- Withholding negative feedback to keep morale high
- Making all decisions unilaterally for speed
- Competing openly with team members
Correct answer: Admitting mistakes and showing vulnerability
Leaders who model vulnerability and admit mistakes create trust by showing that honesty is safe within the team.
Question 7: A coach uses a team assessment revealing low scores on 'healthy conflict.' What is the most constructive first step?
- Establish norms that make debate safe and expected (Correct answer)
- Prohibit disagreement in meetings
- Assign a permanent devil's advocate without discussion
- Escalate all disagreements to senior management
Correct answer: Establish norms that make debate safe and expected
Creating explicit norms that legitimize productive debate makes conflict safe and encourages open exchange of ideas.
CBC Team Building & Development 3
During the norming stage of team development, what is the coach's most appropriate focus?