Revision -01

December 2011 CFB

Question 1 A. What are the different characteristics of “potential”, “real” and “high-

performance” teams? Give an example of each to illustrate your answer. (9 marks)

• Potential Team Group assigned a task – trying to work together, but lack of focus and

frustration. Often happens in academic project teams. There may be team conflicts, disagreements or misunderstandings between individuals. The ‘potential’ is defined by the possibility that through team development such as training, shared experience, or even simply time, individuals can be trained or re-aligned to a common business purpose, thus becoming a ‘real’ or ‘high-performance’ team.

• Real team Group assigned a task – all members committed and mutually supportive. High

probability of success. Real teams provide increased business impact because the constituent individuals develop and maintain complimentary skills, rather than competing with each other.

• High-Performance Team Group assigned a task – all members committed and are

aware of each others strengths (and weaknesses). They achieve more than real teams due to their deep commitment to both each other and the business’s needs.

Achieving the task is an important aspect of team working. When working in a team, what are the main considerations that need to be met to ensure the task is achieved? (6 marks)

In order to achieve the task in a team, we should follow the principles below;

• Define the task clearly to all the members • Allocate roles and responsibilities • Make a plan • Divide up work • Identify resources • Check performance against plan • Adjust plan if necessary

Price & Maier (2007) discuss four team profiles. Briefly outline the characteristics of a „Pragmatist‟.

Pragmatist is one of the team profiles identified by Price & Maier(2007). This profile having the following characteristics;

• Pragmatist enjoys putting theories and techniques into practice. • Pragmatist works confidently with ideas • Pragmatist puts ideas to work for self and/or team. • Pragmatist need to see immediate benefit – less happy with

theoretical. • Uncomfortable with unfocused discussions

You can find some useful information on this http://www.pd-how2.org/2_8.htm

There are 3 different types of listening. Briefly explain each one, and give an example to illustrate your answer.

• Content listening – understanding and retaining the speaker’s message .for example when someone try to persuade you or asking you to do something we use this method.

• Critical listening – understanding and evaluating the meaning of the speaker’s message . For example when you are deciding to vote, you listen to different candidates critically and make a decision.

• Empathic listening - understanding the speaker’s feelings and appreciating their point of view

For example when you listen to someone you relate yourself to the person.

Effective listening has lots of advantages. Briefly outline what these are.

Effective listening would help you for ;

• Enjoyment at sharing ideas • Discovering new information • Agreement on some future action • Increased self of self-worth • Clearer understanding of own ideas • Finding new ways of resolving a problem • Satisfaction at having resolved something • Clearer understanding of another person’s viewpoint

There are many different types of non-verbal communication, one of which is body language. It may be said that communication through body language “works both ways”. Explain by way of an example or scenario what this statement means.

• Your body language reveals your feelings and meanings to others; and,

• Other people's body language reveals their feelings and meanings to you

Understanding the principles of body language can help you in the workplace. Your body language will make a big difference when dealing with colleagues, subordinates and clients. For example if you are showing the signs of nervousness to your subordinates, you are unlikely to be a successful manager. It is also worth mentioning that any hint of a lie when trying to persuade the customer to buy a new product or service could be potentially costly. Body language helps us make a judgment about someone almost instantly.

What are the main advantages of using a spreadsheet for analysing numerical data?

• Data can be held in cells – but cells can also hold formulae • Formulae can be used to perform mathematical functions on

data held in the spreadsheet • Data can easily be manipulated to perform “what if?”

functions • Sheets and even different spreadsheets can be linked together • Non-financial and non-numerical data can also be

analysed using a spreadsheet

• Using a spreadsheet greatly increases productivity for anyone who needs to manage receipts, create budgets, generate financial reports or even keep track of inventories and similar lists.

• If you make a mistake in a spreadsheet, you can correct it by entering a new number or text into that cell of your worksheet.( EDITING EASY)

• A spreadsheet makes calculating numerical data much more easier.

What is the difference between a chart and a histogram? Give an example to illustrate the type of data that could be used on each one.

• Chart is used to illustrate discrete data (e.g. favourite colour) • Histogram is used to illustrate continuous data (e.g. heights of

people in a group) (Continuous= numbers that can have decimals (ie. height, time,

any measurement. Discrete= whole numbers, no decimals (ie. how many phone calls made. Continuous data would be like temperatures, lengths, and so on. Usually, anything you have to use a measuring device for is continuous data)

What is the main purpose of using a chart to illustrate data?

To show how the data “looks”, as most people prefer a pictorial representation to illustrate the data.

Charts, graphs, and tables provide a great deal of visual appeal. They allow users to quickly spot trends, examine pronounced data, and see an actual picture. This power and appeal makes a “picture worth a thousand words.”

What are the major elements that every chart needs?

• Title • x Axis labels • y Axis labels • x Axis title • y Axis title • Grid (for clarity) • Legend (The legend tells you what each bar or column or line

or pie slice etc. represents on your chart)• Data represented as bars, or pie slices, or others …

Business messages can be communicated by oral, written, visual or electronic means. Use a table to show the advantages and disadvantages of each of these.

Briefly discuss the main considerations you would need to take into account when preparing a message.

Buzz words are informal terms for a fashionable words or phrases that is used more to impress than to inform. For example Face the music ( means you are responsible for what you do) Jargon is the word related to particular profession or group – for example CPU, bytes

For reference only!• Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the

"dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions."

• Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake could include evil

Once you had prepared and written a business message, how would you edit it for clarity before sending?

What are the key considerations when planning a CV?

When preparing for an interview for a new job, what are the main points to consider?

After the interview

During the interview

What are the key advantages and disadvantages of using visual aids when giving a presentation?

What are the considerations that you should have while choosing visuals for the presentation?

• Use visuals to help your audience

• Make words and visuals work together

• Double-check cultural assumptions

• Prefer simplicity and accuracy

• Use your time wisely