DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Chapter 9 1. The consequences of groupthink can be devastating. What can an organization do to avoid this type of behavior? 2. In what ways can culture affect a team? 3. Why does social loafing occur within groups? Chapter 10 4. What are some primary causes of conflict at work? 5. List three ways to decrease a conflict situation. What are some pros and cons of each of these approaches? 6. What are the negotiation phases and what goes on during each of them? Solution Chapter 9 1. Groupthink is one of the nefarious decision-making missteps of teams, and a trap that many smart people and groups have fallen victim to throughout history. Ways to avoid groupthink can be: To avoid groupthink, it is vital for the group leader to become a statesperson or conductor instead of a partisan virtuoso. Leadership almost always involves getting work done through others. 2. Working with people who do not share the same cultural values, viewpoints and backgrounds can be difficult and can severely affect work practices. Nowadays, More and more companies around the world define themselves as multicultural. It is not necessary that members of a team have to come from the same background, or share the same religion or political ideas to work effectively together. However, when personality or cultural clashes occur, you need to be able to solve the conflicts with little or no disruption to your business. However, one aspect that seriously affects teams is the combination of different cultural norms. What is considered appropriate in team behaviour often varies on whether, for example, an employee is coming from an individualist or collectivist-oriented culture. Another important influence on teams.