OM Leadership & Team Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A manager wants to build psychological safety on their team. Which action BEST fosters this environment?
- Establishing strict performance metrics with frequent reviews
- Encouraging team members to speak up without fear of punishment (Correct answer)
- Assigning individual tasks to minimize group conflict
- Rewarding only top performers to motivate others
Correct answer: Encouraging team members to speak up without fear of punishment
Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, is built when team members feel safe to take risks and voice ideas without fear of negative consequences.
Question 2: Which type of power is derived from a leader's personal charisma and the admiration followers have for them?
- Legitimate power
- Expert power
- Referent power (Correct answer)
- Reward power
Correct answer: Referent power
Referent power stems from others' desire to identify with or be like the leader, based on admiration and personal appeal.
Question 3: A team consistently meets targets but members report low satisfaction and high turnover. Which management dimension does the leader MOST need to improve?
- Task-oriented behaviors
- People-oriented behaviors (Correct answer)
- Strategic planning
- Budget management
Correct answer: People-oriented behaviors
The Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid shows that leaders need both task and people orientation; low concern for people leads to dissatisfaction and turnover.
Question 4: In situational leadership, a leader uses a 'coaching' style when a team member has:
- High competence and high commitment
- Low competence and high commitment
- High competence and variable commitment (Correct answer)
- Low competence and low commitment
Correct answer: High competence and variable commitment
Coaching (S3 or equivalent) is used with experienced employees who know their job but may lack confidence or motivation, requiring more two-way dialogue.
Question 5: Which communication channel is MOST appropriate for delivering sensitive performance feedback to an employee?
- Group email to all stakeholders
- Face-to-face private meeting (Correct answer)
- Text message
- Company-wide memo
Correct answer: Face-to-face private meeting
Sensitive feedback requires a high-richness, private communication channel to allow for dialogue, tone, and confidentiality.
Question 6: A leader who motivates followers by appealing to higher ideals, creating a vision, and inspiring change is demonstrating which leadership style?
- Transactional leadership
- Transformational leadership (Correct answer)
- Servant leadership
- Autocratic leadership
Correct answer: Transformational leadership
Transformational leadership inspires followers through vision and appeals to their values, driving significant organizational change.
Question 7: Which team structure gives members the MOST flexibility by allowing them to report to both a functional manager and a project manager simultaneously?
- Hierarchical structure
- Flat structure
- Matrix structure (Correct answer)
- Virtual team structure
Correct answer: Matrix structure
The matrix structure enables dual reporting relationships, combining functional expertise with project focus for greater organizational flexibility.
OM Leadership & Team Management 3
A manager wants to build psychological safety on their team.
Which action BEST fosters this environment?