Collaboration Information Systems

Collaboration Information Systems 1) Collaboration is defined as a group of people ________. A) coming together to perform tasks that are different B) working together to achieve a common goal C) performing independent tasks that are important D) working without having to critically analyze each other's work E) reconciling differences in communication styles 2) ________ is defined as a group of people working together to achieve a common goal via a process of feedback and iteration. A) Participation B) Collaboration C) Association D) Cooperation E) Assimilation 3) Which of the following is a key difference between collaboration and cooperation? A) Unlike cooperation, collaboration occurs when a job has to be accomplished. B) Cooperation requires people to have a common goal, whereas collaboration occurs even without a common goal. C) People should work together to cooperate, whereas they need not work together to collaborate. D) Unlike cooperation, collaboration emphasizes iteration and feedback. E) Cooperation emphasizes iteration and feedback, and collaboration emphasizes consensus. 4) A student team, which is assigned a term project, works together to achieve results. They provide continuous feedback to each other and thus, complete the project. Which of the following is being illustrated in this activity? A) collaboration B) association C) participation D) cooperation E) support 5) ________ is defined as a group of people working together, all doing essentially the same type of work, to accomplish a job. A) Collaboration B) Association C) Participation D) Cooperation E) Support 6) A student group that is working on a project is considered to be a collaboration if the ________. A) members work on different sections by themselves B) members provide feedback on each other's work C) group uses Google Drive to share files D) group uses a file server to share files E) group uses Gmail to communicate 7) Which of the following is the most important trait that an effective collaborator should have? A) avoiding unpopular ideas B) persuasive presentation skills C) giving and receiving critical feedback D) previous experience as a collaborator E) ability to resolve conflict 8) Which of the following is the least important characteristic of an effective collaborator? A) willingness to enter difficult conversations B) having experience as a collaborator C) showing the ability to receive critical feedback D) being skillful at giving negative feedback E) willing to put forward unpopular ideas 9) Constructive criticism is negative advice given to improve an outcome. 10) Groupthink is a phenomenon where the desire for group cohesion leads to improved decision making. 11) Feedback and iteration enable a group to produce something greater than any single person could accomplish by working independently. 12) Being a skilled and persuasive presenter is the most important characteristic for an effective collaborator. 13) Distinguish between cooperation and collaboration. Answer: Cooperation is a group of people working together, all doing essentially the same type of work, to accomplish a job. A group of four painters, each painting a different wall in the same room, are working cooperatively. A cooperative group can accomplish a given task faster than an individual working alone, but the cooperative result is usually not better in quality than the result of someone working alone. Collaboration occurs when a group of people work together to achieve a common goal via a process of feedback and iteration. Using feedback and iteration, one person will produce something, say the draft of a document, and a second person will review that draft and provide critical feedback. Given the feedback, the original author or someone else will then revise the first draft to produce a second. The work proceeds in a series of stages, or iterations. 14) Describe the guidelines for giving and receiving constructive criticism. Answer: For collaboration to be successful, members of a team must provide and receive constructive criticism. A group in which everyone is too polite to say anything critical cannot collaborate. On the other hand, a group that is so critical and negative that members come to distrust, even hate, one another cannot effectively collaborate either. Critical feedback needs to be presented in a friendly, well-reasoned manner. Learning how to effectively give critical feedback takes practice. Giving constructive criticism includes being specific, offering suggestions, avoiding personal comments, and setting positive goals. Accepting constructive criticism includes questioning your emotions, not dominating, and demonstrating a commitment to the group. 15) List six of the most important characteristics of an effective collaborator. Answer: Six important characteristics of an effective collaborator are as follows: 1) enthusiastic about the subject of collaboration 2) open-minded and curious 3) speaks his or her mind even if it's an unpopular viewpoint 4) gets back to me and others in a timely way 5) willing to enter into difficult conversations 6) perceptive listener 16) According to J. Richard Hackman, which of the following is a primary criterion for judging team success? A) successful outcome B) experience in collaborating C) ability to be dynamic D) availability of external help E) least amount of conflict 17) Richard Hackman's studies revealed that successful outcome is a major criterion for judging team success. 18) According to J. Richard Hackman, what are the three primary criteria for judging team success? Answer: According to J. Richard Hackman, there are three primary criteria for judging team success: (1) successful outcome, (2) growth in team capability, and (3) meaningful and satisfying experience. 19) Identify a primary purpose of collaboration. A) eliminating individual tasks B) making decisions C) evaluating coworkers D) performing routine tasks E) personal improvement 20) Operational decisions are those that support ________. A) operational, day-to-day activities B) optimum utilization of resources C) organizational issues D) allocation of tasks E) strategic competitive objectives 21) Marci, a purchasing agent, orders 300 refrigerators per month from an online vendor portal. In doing so, she has made a(n) ________ decision. A) managerial B) tactical C) strategic D) operational E) technical 22) ________ decisions are concerned with day-to-day activities. A) Operational B) Strategic C) Managerial D) Tactical E) Preemptive 23) Arie is a team lead for a group of engineers working on a new product. Arie decides to assign four additional engineers to the project to optimize corporate resources. His decisions, in this scenario, are ________ in nature. A) operational B) functional C) managerial D) strategic E) active 24) Carl, the information technology head at Cloud Denim, a clothing company, has to update the enterprise software system used by the organization. He is responsible for determining the hardware and software that would be required to implement the new system. Carl's decisions, in this case, are ________. A) operational B) strategic C) procedural D) managerial E) technical 25) Managerial decisions are decisions about ________. A) the utilization of resources B) broad organizational issues C) the day-to-day activities D) strategic decision making E) the creation of strategic goals 26) ________ decisions are those that support broad-scope, organizational issues. A) Operational B) Strategic C) Unstructured D) Managerial E) Technical 27) The directors of X-lam Inc., a manufacturer of electric water heaters, meet to discuss ways to increase their net profit. They decide to manufacture electric toasters and thus invest in a new product line. This investment is an example of a(n) ________ decision. A) operational B) strategic C) managerial D) procedural E) technical 28) Which of the following is an example of a strategic decision? A) deciding to increase the salaries of a group of employees B) deciding to open a centralized distribution system C) deciding to increase the reorder quantity of raw materials D) deciding to give an employee certain tasks and responsibilities E) deciding to buy a replacement server 29) Which of the following is a key difference between strategic decisions and managerial decisions? A) Strategic decisions deal with the utilization of resources, whereas managerial decisions deal with day-to-day activities. B) Managerial decisions concern organizational issues, whereas strategic decisions concern external issues. C) Managerial decisions concern allocation and utilization of resources, whereas strategic decisions concern broad organizational issues. D) Strategic decisions involve financial issues, whereas managerial decisions do not involve financial issues. E) Strategic decisions involve innovative issues, whereas managerial decisions do not involve innovative issues. 30) Identify a key difference between managerial decisions and operational decisions. A) Managerial decisions concern the allocation of resources, whereas operational decisions concern day-to-day activities. B) Managerial decisions are corporate decisions, whereas operational decisions concern the utilization of resources. C) Managerial decisions deal with the allocation of resources, whereas operational decisions concern broad-scope, organizational issues. D) Operational decisions have broad scope, whereas the scope of managerial decisions is limited to day-to-day activities. E) Operational decisions have narrow scope, whereas the scope of managerial decisions is limited to day-to-day activities. 31) Following standardized guidelines to calculate sales commissions is an example of a(n) ________. A) autocratic participative decision-making style B) structured decision C) unstructured decision D) consensus participative decision-making style E) financial decision 32) An organization uses a formula to compute the reorder quantity of an item in inventory. This is an example of a(n) ________ decision process. A) structured B) unstructured C) managerial D) strategic E) predictive 33) A company's top managers meet to decide on a potential merger with one of its competitors. They discuss various aspects of the merger, such as business valuations and conducting due diligence. This is an example of ________ decision making. A) asynchronous B) unstructured C) structured D) operational E) relational 34) Which of the following questions is best answered through unstructured decision making? A) How many overtime hours should be used to fill this order? B) Should we continue to outsource our bookkeeping processes? C) What is the acceptable defect ratio for this product? D) When should the next batch be scheduled to reduce idle time? E) How many replacement parts should be kept on hand? 35) Which of the following decisions is least likely to involve collaboration? A) How much of product A should be ordered from vendor B? B) What products should we include in the new product line? C) Should our company acquire company A? D) What type of relationship should the company maintain with company A? E) Should we create a strategic partnership with company A? 36) Which of the following observations about the relationship between decision type and decision process is TRUE? A) Managerial decisions tend to be highly structured, whereas operational decisions are unstructured. B) Decisions at the operational level tend to be structured, whereas decisions at the strategic level tend to be unstructured. C) Higher-level organizational decisions should be highly structured. D) Need for collaboration is highly significant for lower-level, structured decisions. E) Decisions at the operational level tend to be unstructured, whereas decisions at the strategic level tend to be structured. 37) The need for collaboration is greatest for ________ decisions. A) operational B) procedural C) strategic D) managerial E) technical 38) ________ decisions are the most structured and have very little need for collaboration. A) Operational B) Tactical C) Managerial D) Strategic E) Technical 39) The fundamental purpose of the starting phase of a project is ________. A) accomplishing the project tasks effectively B) determining tasks and dependencies C) managing tasks and budgets of the project D) setting the ground rules for the project and team E) solving problems 40) Evelyn, who is in charge of an ad hoc team, holds a meeting with her team and explains the purpose of the project and outlines what the team can expect during its course. She lays down certain rules regarding the methods that can be used to achieve their project goals. Evelyn's project is in the ________ phase of project management. A) starting B) finalizing C) doing D) planning E) maintenance 41) Team roles, responsibilities, and authorities are established during the ________ phase of a project. A) starting B) planning C) doing D) evaluating E) maintenance 42) The main purpose of the planning phase in a project is to ________. A) set up the project scope and initial budget B) accomplish the project tasks effectively C) determine who will do what and by when D) establish team roles, responsibilities, and authorities E) determine completion 43) Identify a task that should be performed during the planning phase of project management. A) reporting project progress B) determining the schedule C) performing project tasks D) preparing archival documents E) form the team 44) Roselyn works for an event management company. Her latest project as a party planner is a corporate event. She delegates tasks like choosing the venue, posting invitations, and planning logistics to her team members. She also specifies a time frame for each task. Roselyn's project is in the ________ phase of project management. A) planning B) starting C) doing D) finalizing E) maintenance 45) A project manager has to manage tasks and identify schedule problems during the ________ phase of project management. A) planning B) starting C) doing D) finalizing E) maintenance 46) One of the procedures of a collaboration project is documenting and reporting progress. This is performed in the ________ phase of the project. A) starting B) planning C) doing D) scheduling E) maintenance 47) Identify the project management phase in which the budget and tasks of a project are managed. A) finalizing B) doing C) planning D) starting E) maintenance 48) Project teams should document project results and information for future teams. Which of the following is the project management phase in which the teams perform this function? A) doing B) planning C) starting D) finalizing E) maintenance 49) The facility manager of an insurance company makes decisions on the monthly purchase of office supplies. This is an example of an operational decision. 50) Operational decisions are those that support day-to-day activities. 51) Need for collaboration increases as the decisions become more structured. 52) An unstructured decision process is one for which there is no agreed-on decision-making method. 53) Determining the best mix of products that a company should sell is an example of an unstructured decision. 54) Operational decisions require a high degree of collaboration. 55) Project scope and initial budget are set during the starting phase of a project. 56) Project plan and budget are prepared during the finalizing phase of project management. 57) Define the three levels of decision making with examples. Answer: Decisions are made at three levels: operational, managerial, and strategic. 1) Operational decisions are those that support operational, day-to-day activities. Typical operational decisions are: How many widgets should we order from vendor A? Should we extend credit to vendor B? Which invoices should we pay today? 2) Managerial decisions are decisions about the allocation and utilization of resources. Typical decisions are: How much should we budget for computer hardware and programs for department A next year? How many engineers should we assign to project B? 3) Strategic decisions are those that support broad-scope, organizational issues. Typical decisions at the strategic level are: Should we start a new product line? Should we open a centralized warehouse in Tennessee? Should we acquire company A? 58) What is the difference between structured and unstructured decisions? Give an example of each. Answer: Structured decisions are those where an understood and accepted method for making the decision exists. The process through which financial institutions avail credit is an example of structured decision making. Unstructured decisions are those where there is no agreed-on decision-making method. Predicting the future direction of the economy or the stock market is a classic example of unstructured decision. 59) Explain why structured decisions seldom require collaboration. Answer: A structured decision process is one where there is an understood and accepted method for making the decision. Since the decision process is already understood, there is no reason for collaboration to determine how to make the decision. 60) Are most strategic decisions unstructured? Give an example of an unstructured strategic decision. Answer: Yes, most strategic decisions are unstructured. Since they are made less frequently and generally have a long-term time horizon, most strategic decisions are relatively unstructured. Long-term labor planning comprises unstructured strategic decisions. 61) Briefly describe the starting phase of a project. Answer: The fundamental purpose of the starting phase is to set the ground rules for the project and the team. In industry, teams need to determine or understand what authority they have. Is the project given to the team? Or is part of the team's task to identify what the project is? Is the team free to determine team membership, or is membership given? Other tasks during the starting phase are to set the scope of the project and to establish an initial budget. It is important to set team member expectations at the outset. What role will each team member play, and what responsibilities and authority will he or she have? 62) Project data is data that is ________. A) part of the collaboration's work product B) used to manage a project C) used to schedule the tasks of the project D) part of documents such as schedules and budgets E) used for operational decision making 63) Project metadata is data that is ________. A) part of a collaboration's work product B) used to manage the project C) developed to design new offerings D) used in documents to describe recommended solutions E) intended to be archived 64) Which of the following is an example of project data? A) list of project tasks B) schedule C) budget D) design document E) monthly sales report 65) According to Hackman's three criteria for team success, which of the following IS requirements will be categorized under the growth in team capability criterion? A) rewarding accomplishment B) managing many versions of content C) supporting intra-team training D) building team esprit E) create sense of importance 66) According to Hackman's three criteria for team success, which of the following IS requirements will be categorized under the meaningful and satisfying experience criterion? A) documenting definitions B) rewarding accomplishment C) managing many versions of content D) managing tasks E) communicate (feedback) 67) Project data is data that is part of the collaboration's work product. 68) Describe project data and project metadata. Answer: Project data is data that is part of the collaboration's work product. For example, for a team that is designing a new product, design documents are examples of project data. A document that describes a recommended solution is project data for a problem-solving project. Project metadata is data that is used to manage the project. Schedules, tasks, budgets, and other managerial data are examples of project metadata. Both types of data are subject to iteration and feedback. 69) ________ communication occurs within a team when all team members meet at the same time. A) Synchronous B) Asynchronous C) Virtual D) Unidirectional E) Anachronous 70) Asynchronous communication occurs when team members ________. A) cannot arrive at consensus after discussions B) engage in conflicting discussions C) do not meet at the same time D) communicate in a sequential manner E) talk with each other via video conference 71) The use of a conference call is an example of ________ communication. A) sequential B) synchronous C) indirect D) asynchronous E) incidental 72) Who among the following are most likely to use asynchronous communication? A) members of a team who work in different time zones B) managers who work in the same office C) employees who work in an assembly line D) a group of directors who regularly meet for board meetings E) group members flying together on the same flight 73) Which of the following tools facilitates asynchronous communication? A) videoconferencing B) multiparty text chat C) discussion forum D) screen-sharing application E) real-time protocol to improve team communication? 74) ________ is a popular commercial webinar product used in virtual sales presentations. A) SurveyMonkey B) MS Office Web C) WebEx D) Skype E) Aspen 75) Discussion forums are better suited than emails in asynchronous communication because ________. A) they are best suited to transmit personalized information B) they facilitate real-time communication between participants C) they keep the discussion from going off track D) they ensure that all team members are involved in the discussion E) they have greater organizational memory 76) The term ________ refers to a collaboration tool where team members can easily respond and the management can easily identify the people who have not responded to a request. A) discussion forum B) management survey C) webinar D) team survey E) email 77) Susan, the operations manager at Multitech Systems Inc., schedules a face-to-face meeting with her vendors to decide on the specifications for a project. Some of her senior engineers are also asked to participate in the discussion through a conference call. This is an example of synchronous communication. 78) Margaret finds that calling all her senior supervisors and quality managers for a face-to-face meeting is not feasible. She arranges for a multiparty text chatting session involving all of them. This is an example of asynchronous communication. 79) A webinar is a tool used to facilitate asynchronous communication. 80) One of the advantages of a team survey is that it is easy to determine who has not yet responded. 81) What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communications? Provide examples for each. Answer: Synchronous communications are collaborations where all the team members meet at the same time. Examples include face-to-face meetings, videoconferencing, conference calls, and multiparty chats. Asynchronous communications occur when team members do not meet at the same time. Emails, discussion forums, and team surveys are examples of asynchronous communication. 82) Describe screen-sharing applications, webinars, and discussion forums. Answer: Screen-sharing applications enable users to view the same whiteboard, application, or other display. The whiteboard allows multiple people to contribute simultaneously. To organize the simultaneous conversation, the whiteboard real estate is divided among the members of the group. Some groups save their whiteboards as minutes of the meeting. A webinar is a virtual meeting in which attendees view one of the attendees' computer screens for a more formal and organized presentation. WebEx is a popular commercial webinar application used in virtual sales presentations. Discussion forums are an alternative to emails. Here, one group member posts an entry, perhaps an idea, a comment, or a question, and other group members respond. Such forums are better than email because it is harder for the discussion to get off track. 83) What are team surveys? What are their benefits? Answer: Team surveys are a form of communication technology. With these, one team member creates a list of questions and other team members respond. Surveys are an effective way to obtain team opinions. They are generally easy to complete, so most team members will participate. Also, it is easy to determine who has not yet responded. 84) Which of the following alternatives for sharing content provides version control? A) Microsoft Office B) WebApps C) Google Docs D) Microsoft SharePoint E) Network attached storage 85) Version management systems ________. A) lack the features needed to track changes to shared documents B) provide features and functions to accommodate concurrent work C) prevent more than one user from checking out the same document simultaneously D) provide version control to limit and direct user activity E) prevent group access to entire directories 86) Which of the following statements is TRUE about working with Google Drive? A) Google accounts are not necessarily required to edit documents. B) Documents are stored on the user's personal computer. C) Multiple users are not allowed to simultaneously see and edit documents. D) Google tracks document revisions, with brief summaries of changes made. E) Google provides unlimited storage. 87) ________ is a process that occurs when the collaboration tool limits, and sometimes even directs, user activity. A) Document monitoring B) Version control C) Document tracking D) Version management E) Document replication 88) In the context of shared content with version control, shared documents are placed into shared directories called ________. A) caches B) tables C) libraries D) sessions E) arrays 89) A shared file server is best suited for sharing content when there is increased risk of interference with the user's work by other team members. 90) Version management applications offer a higher degree of control than the version control applications. 91) Using a file server to exchange documents is superior to using Google Drive. 92) Version management systems improve the tracking of shared content and provide version control. 93) Collaboration tools that provide workflow control manage the activities in a process predefined by the group. 94) Why is version control important for shared content? Answer: Version control involves one or more of the following capabilities: (1) user activity limited by permissions, (2) document checkout, (3) version histories, and (4) workflow control. This gives managers better control over shared content. 95) Which of the following statements is TRUE of sharing a task list on Google Drive? A) Sharing a task list on Google Drive is a very complex procedure. B) Team members can share a task list without having a Google account. C) Google Drive gives every team member permissions to edit, but restricts their contributions to the task list. D) Google Drive allows simultaneous edits. E) Task lists updates are pushed out weekly. 96) Which of the following statements is TRUE of managing tasks? A) When a single person is made responsible for accomplishing a task, it means that he/she should do the task. B) No benefit will come from the task list unless every task has a date by which it is to be completed. C) Accountability and follow-up are seldom required for task management. D) For team members to utilize a task list effectively, they need to keep it confidential. E) Important tasks are completed on time. 97) Team members need not continually check the SharePoint task list for new tasks. 98) Explain the importance of using task lists. Answer: Managing with a task list is critical for making progress. Task descriptions need to be specific and worded so that it is possible to decide whether or not the task was accomplished. In general, one person should be made responsible for accomplishing a task. That does not mean that the assigned person does the task; it means that they are responsible for ensuring that it gets done. No benefit will come from this list unless every task has a date by which it is to be completed. For team members to utilize the task list effectively, they need to share it. 99) Which of the following is a comprehensive tool for communication? A) Google Hangouts B) SharePoint C) Google Drive D) Skype for Business E) Zphone 100) Skype for Business is an example of a comprehensive content sharing collaboration tool.