CTL Strategic Team Development — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are Tuckman's five stages of group development?
- Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning (Correct answer)
- Planning, Executing, Monitoring, Controlling, and Closing
- Hiring, Training, Evaluating, Promoting, and Retiring
- Visioning, Aligning, Deploying, Reviewing, and Sustaining
Correct answer: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning
Tuckman's model describes how teams progress: Forming (orientation), Storming (conflict), Norming (cohesion), Performing (productivity), and Adjourning (dissolution).
Question 2: What is the difference between a team leader and a team manager?
- Leaders inspire and motivate through influence; managers direct and control through authority (Correct answer)
- There is no difference between the two roles
- Managers inspire; leaders control
- Leaders handle budgets; managers handle people
Correct answer: Leaders inspire and motivate through influence; managers direct and control through authority
Team leaders primarily influence through vision, inspiration, and personal example, while managers exercise formal authority over tasks, resources, and organizational processes.
Question 3: What is psychological safety in a team environment?
- A shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking without fear of punishment (Correct answer)
- Physical safety measures in the workplace
- A policy requiring mental health screenings for all employees
- A team agreement to avoid all conflict and disagreement
Correct answer: A shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking without fear of punishment
Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, is the belief that team members can speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes, and take risks without being humiliated or punished.
Question 4: How should a team leader handle a consistently underperforming team member?
- Have a private conversation to understand barriers, set clear expectations, and create an improvement plan (Correct answer)
- Ignore the issue and hope it resolves itself
- Publicly criticize the member to motivate improvement
- Immediately terminate the employee without discussion
Correct answer: Have a private conversation to understand barriers, set clear expectations, and create an improvement plan
Effective leaders address underperformance through private conversations, seeking to understand root causes, setting clear expectations, providing support, and creating actionable improvement plans.
Question 5: What is servant leadership?
- A leadership philosophy where the leader prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of team members (Correct answer)
- A leadership style where team members serve the leader's personal interests
- A military leadership approach based on strict hierarchy
- A leadership model used exclusively in nonprofit organizations
Correct answer: A leadership philosophy where the leader prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of team members
Servant leadership, coined by Robert Greenleaf, prioritizes serving others first — the leader's primary goal is to support team members' development, well-being, and success.
Question 6: What is the SMART goal framework for team objectives?
- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (Correct answer)
- Strategic, Motivated, Aggressive, Responsive, and Tactical
- Simple, Mandatory, Assigned, Recorded, and Tracked
- Structured, Managed, Approved, Reviewed, and Tested
Correct answer: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound
SMART goals are Specific (clear what to achieve), Measurable (quantifiable), Achievable (realistic), Relevant (aligned with priorities), and Time-bound (with a deadline).
CTL Strategic Team Development
What are Tuckman's five stages of group development?