Good

and bad sample answers

Question: What are the most important factors hindering the MGI teams performance?
Exactly what effects are they causing? Explain as deeply as you can why those factors
cause those effects.

Sample good answer

One deep cause of problems on the team is deep diversity in national culture,
personality, and values. Roman and Igor value creativity. The Russians have a norm for
arguing. Et cet.
Effects of these causes include inefficient, unproductive meetings; sub-groups that are
not working well together; and failure to agree on whether the company should focus
on the education or the entertainment market.
Deep diversity causes those effects because people feel threatened by differences and
because they make errors in assigning intention to behavior, especially in the absence
of socialization and bonding. For example, team members are more likely to take
disagreement personally and become defensive. Henry and Dana feel that they must
collaborate to neutralize Sasha. The Russians feel that they must be in agreement with
each other and stand united against the Harvard students. So meetings become
opportunities to demonstrate ones value (e.g., the musicians creativity, Sashas ideas),
to play out conflict, and to oppose other peoples ideas instead of collaborating in good
faith on the best ideas.
[written quickly, not perfect, sorry ]

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Question: What is the best way for teams to establish good behavioral norms early in
their development? Make your answer very specific. State exactly who should do exactly
what to ensure that good behavioral norms are established. Explain as deeply as you can
why your recommended actions would be effective.

Sample answer 1
Teams should set ground rules. Ground rules will be effective because they set
expectations and get everybody on the same page.

Why sample answer 1 is unsatisfactory

The recommendation is not specific. Which ground rules? Who should perform
the actions is not stated. Who initiates the process for setting ground rules? Who
does what during the process for setting them? What does it mean to set
expectations? Expectations of what? What does it mean to be on the same
page?
The explanation does not make a clear causal connection between the action and
the ultimate desired outcome (good behavioral norms). Team members may
know what is expected, but does knowing alone cause them to act appropriately?
Exactly why or how will ground rules establish good behavioral norms?

Sample answer 2
Person A should suggest that the team set ground rules. Person B should facilitate
discussion. The facilitator should give team members a few minutes to think of ground
rules, then conduct a round robin to collect ideas . Good rules include . The
facilitator should also lead the team in a discussion of how to enforce the rules. One
good way is to set a rule about respectful inquiry . Person C should document the
accepted rules, distribute the document to team members, and set a schedule for
reviewing the ground rules.
This approach should be effective because teammates usually do not want to disappoint
their teammates. Knowing that they will be confronted will probably deter them
because confrontation is unpleasant. We all want to be liked and respected, not
criticized, so we will often do what gains us affection and respect and what avoids
criticism from people with whom we want to get along.

Why sample answer 2 is better

The actions are specific. Who does what is clearly stated.
A deep, plausible, psychological explanation for how the action leads to an
outcome is provided.

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