COM Leadership & Team Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team member consistently underperforms despite receiving feedback. Which management approach should an Operations Manager prioritize first?
- Immediate termination
- A structured performance improvement plan (PIP) (Correct answer)
- Reassigning all their tasks to other team members
- Ignoring the issue and hoping it resolves itself
Correct answer: A structured performance improvement plan (PIP)
A structured PIP provides clear expectations, timelines, and support mechanisms before escalating to termination.
Question 2: Which leadership style is MOST effective when managing a highly skilled and self-motivated operations team?
- Autocratic
- Delegative (Laissez-faire) (Correct answer)
- Transactional
- Coercive
Correct answer: Delegative (Laissez-faire)
Delegative leadership works best with experienced, motivated teams who can self-direct without constant supervision.
Question 3: During a major operational crisis, an Operations Manager must make a rapid decision with incomplete information. This is best described as:
- Analysis paralysis
- Decision-making under uncertainty (Correct answer)
- Risk avoidance
- Strategic deferral
Correct answer: Decision-making under uncertainty
Decision-making under uncertainty involves choosing actions despite incomplete data, relying on experience and available evidence.
Question 4: An Operations Manager notices low morale on the production floor. Which Herzberg hygiene factor is MOST likely contributing if employees complain about working conditions?
- Achievement
- Recognition
- Physical work environment (Correct answer)
- Advancement opportunities
Correct answer: Physical work environment
In Herzberg's two-factor theory, physical work conditions are hygiene factors whose absence causes dissatisfaction.
Question 5: A cross-functional team is experiencing conflict over resource allocation. The most effective conflict resolution approach for an Operations Manager is:
- Avoiding the conflict until it escalates
- Imposing a unilateral decision without team input
- Facilitating a collaborative problem-solving session (Correct answer)
- Delegating the conflict to HR entirely
Correct answer: Facilitating a collaborative problem-solving session
Collaborative problem-solving addresses root causes and builds buy-in by involving all stakeholders in finding a solution.
Question 6: Which communication channel is MOST appropriate when delivering sensitive performance feedback to an individual employee?
- Group email to the entire team
- Private face-to-face meeting (Correct answer)
- Company-wide memo
- Public announcement at a team meeting
Correct answer: Private face-to-face meeting
Private face-to-face meetings protect employee dignity and allow for two-way dialogue on sensitive matters.
Question 7: In situational leadership theory, a 'telling' (S1) style is most appropriate for:
- High competence and high commitment employees
- Low competence and high commitment employees (Correct answer)
- High competence and low commitment employees
- Low competence and low commitment employees
Correct answer: Low competence and high commitment employees
The S1 telling style provides specific direction and supervision for enthusiastic beginners who lack competence but are motivated.
COM Leadership & Team Management 2
A team member consistently underperforms despite receiving feedback.
Which management approach should an Operations Manager prioritize first?