Skills and Competency Teamwork and Collaboration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'psychological safety' mean on a team?
- Physical safety protocols in the workplace
- A climate where team members feel safe to speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes without fear (Correct answer)
- A workplace free from all disagreements
- Ensuring employees do not feel stressed at work
Correct answer: A climate where team members feel safe to speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes without fear
Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, is the shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and open expression.
Question 2: What is 'task interdependence' in a team?
- The degree to which team members must depend on each other to complete their work (Correct answer)
- Each member completing their tasks independently
- Assigning a single task to the entire team
- Depending on external vendors for task completion
Correct answer: The degree to which team members must depend on each other to complete their work
Task interdependence describes how much team members must coordinate and rely on each other's outputs to accomplish their work.
Question 3: What is 'consensus decision-making'?
- The leader making the final decision alone
- A process where all team members agree to support a decision, even if it's not their first choice (Correct answer)
- Voting where the majority wins automatically
- Delegating the decision to an outside expert
Correct answer: A process where all team members agree to support a decision, even if it's not their first choice
Consensus decision-making seeks a decision that all team members can accept and support, even if it isn't the preferred option for every individual.
Question 4: How does diversity within a team typically benefit problem-solving?
- It usually slows the team down significantly
- It brings varied perspectives that can generate more creative and comprehensive solutions (Correct answer)
- It has no measurable effect on outcomes
- It only benefits teams working on cultural projects
Correct answer: It brings varied perspectives that can generate more creative and comprehensive solutions
Diverse teams draw on a wider range of experiences, knowledge, and viewpoints, which tends to produce more innovative and well-rounded solutions.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a team charter?
- To document the team's financial budget
- To establish shared norms, goals, roles, and expectations for how the team will operate (Correct answer)
- To record attendance at team meetings
- To assign individual performance ratings
Correct answer: To establish shared norms, goals, roles, and expectations for how the team will operate
A team charter is a foundational document that aligns team members on purpose, goals, roles, and expected behaviors to guide collaboration.
Question 6: What is 'conflict of interest' in a professional team context?
- Two team members disagreeing about a project approach
- A situation where personal interests could improperly influence professional decisions (Correct answer)
- A healthy debate about competing strategies
- Interest in multiple projects simultaneously
Correct answer: A situation where personal interests could improperly influence professional decisions
A conflict of interest arises when an individual's personal interests could bias their professional judgment or decision-making in a way that harms others.
Skills and Competency Teamwork and Collaboration 2
What does 'psychological safety' mean on a team?