Algebra Questions

Specific goals lead to higher performance than do generalized goals.

In Carl Larson and Frank LaFasto's three-year study of characteristics that explain how and why effective groups develop, they put "a clear and elevated goal" at the top of their list.

When a group develops its own goals, members are more likely to be motivated to accomplish that goal.

In Carl Larson and Frank LaFasto's three-year study of characteristics of highly effective groups, "the ability to change group norms" was included in their list of eight key characteristics.

When setting goals, groups should ask questions about the goal's clarity, difficulty, meaningfulness, and cost.

Members who engage in disruptive or nonconforming behavior should always be confronted about their behavior as soon as possible.

When groups experience apathy, intrinsic motivators—such as a sense of meaningfulness and progress—are minimal or missing.

A leader's ban on the use of cell phones and other interactive technologies during meetings is an example of an explicit procedural norm.

When a group is having difficulty deciding and the leader has the right to make the final decision, the group is abiding by a status norm.

When group members are motivated by a shared feeling that they are pursuing a worthy goal, they are experiencing a sense of meaningfulness.

Constructive nonconformity occurs when a member resists a norm while still working to promote a group goal.

In some groups, discriminatory norms exclude people because of race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, or personal philosophy.

Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo's classic studies demonstrated that people in authority positions exert enormous pressure on people to conform

Groups can exert enormous pressure on members to conform even when a norm is unethical or dangerous.

Hidden agendas occur when a member's private goal conflicts with the group's goal.

When there is enormous pressure for group members to conform, a disruptive member can help the group by not conforming to group norms.

Destructive nonconformity occurs when a member resists conforming to norms without regard for the best interests of the group and its goals.

Some norms can work against a group and its goals.

When group members expect and receive an agenda in advance of meetings and follow the agenda during meetings, they are abiding by an interaction norm.

Locke and Latham's Goal Theory concludes that groups function best when their goals are easy to accomplish and are set by a strong leader