The First-Line Managers of ELH Inc

question 118

Multiple Choice

The first-line managers of ELH Inc. were sent on a retreat to Silver Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting. Few people knew each other, but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable.

The first day, little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader. Finally, Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group.

By the second day, the group seemed to begin working well. They spent the morning determining group standards with respect to how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process.

On the third and fourth days, the managers got down to work and moved amazingly quickly, with ideas flowing freely. By the end of the fourth day, they had a workable system developed, and they felt satisfied. That night they all signed off on a new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day. They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life.

-The official forming stage of the group development process wasn't complete until group members ________.

• A)experienced conflict
• B)introduced one another
• C)felt themselves a part of the group
• D)got acquainted with one another

---

Definitions:

Linear

A term used to describe something that forms a straight line or a process that proceeds in steps of equal increments.

Downward-Sloping

A term often used to describe a curve or line on a graph that decreases from left to right, indicating a negative relationship between two variables.

Perfectly Elastic

Describes a situation in which the quantity demanded or supplied responds infinitely at a particular price level.

Income Elasticity

A measure of how the demand for a good or service changes in response to changes in consumers' income.