Team Dynamics & Group Development Flashcards

A team coach notices that the same three members always speak first in meetings, while others remain silent. Which group dynamic is MOST at work?

Answer: Dominance hierarchy and participation inequality

Participation inequality driven by informal dominance hierarchies is common in teams and can suppress diverse perspectives if left unaddressed.

Ruth Wageman's research on team coaching suggests that coaching is MOST effective when delivered at which point in a team's work cycle?

Answer: At the beginning (launch), midpoint, and end (close) of a team's work cycle

Wageman found that team coaching is most impactful at the natural transition points: launch, midpoint, and close — when teams are most receptive to learning.

A team coach observes that team members appear energized, self-managing, and creative, with high output and low conflict. According to Tuckman, this team is MOST likely in which stage?

Answer: Performing

Performing is characterized by high functioning, flexibility, task focus, and the ability to self-manage — the team has resolved structural and interpersonal issues.

Which of the following BEST illustrates 'process loss' in team dynamics?

Answer: Coordination and motivation failures that cause the team to perform below its potential

Process loss, identified by Ivan Steiner, refers to the gap between a team's potential productivity and its actual output due to poor coordination or motivation.

When a team coach uses 'systemic thinking,' they are primarily attending to which level?

Answer: The relationships, patterns, and feedback loops between all parts of the team system

Systemic thinking in team coaching means paying attention to interdependencies, patterns, and loops — not just individual behaviors in isolation.

A team is stuck in repetitive cycles of the same unresolved conflict. A team coach using a systemic lens would MOST likely explore which factor?

Answer: The organizational context and structural factors that may be sustaining the pattern

Recurring patterns often have systemic drivers — organizational pressures, structural misalignments, or contextual forces — that keep recreating the same dynamic.

In Susan Wheelan's Integrated Model of Group Development (IMGD), what distinguishes Stage 4 from Stage 3?

Answer: Stage 4 teams work with high productivity, flexibility, and mature interdependence

Wheelan's Stage 4 (Work) is characterized by maximum productivity, flexible role structure, and high-quality decision-making built on the trust established in Stage 3.