Course 6 Week 4 Leadership and influencing skills

Course 4 – Project Execution: Running the Project QUIZ ANSWERS

Week 4:  Leadership and Influencing Skills

Google Project Management: Professional Certificate

Coursera Answers & Study Guide

Leadership and Influencing Skills INTRODUCTION

Team effectiveness is a critical factor in the successful completion of projects. Leadership and influencing skills are essential for creating an environment where teams work together to achieve project goals, while still maintaining ethical standards and promoting inclusion.

These skills can be developed with the help of Coursera’s Google Project Management: Professional Certificate program. The program equips learners with the knowledge to properly assess team dynamics, identify stages of team development, develop strategies for managing group dynamics, as well as learn how to use various techniques and sources of power to influence others while showing ways project managers listen and communicate effectively. It also helps individuals build trust within teams by developing effective communication methods and setting clear expectations for all members.

Learners will gain a deeper understanding of creating an ethical and inclusive environment that encourages high performance and results. With this course, participants will be able to recognize and address challenges that arise in teams and work more effectively with their colleagues.

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the importance of project teamwork and the factors that influence team effectiveness.
  • Discuss the stages of team development and how to manage team dynamics.
  • Explain how to build high-functioning teams that work together to meet project goals.
  • Discuss the role of the project manager in fostering an ethical and inclusive team culture.
  • Explore techniques and sources of power that can help influence others.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: EFFECTIVE TEAMS

1. Which five factors have the greatest impact on team effectiveness?

  • Psychological safety, methodology, structure and clarity, mastery, and impact
  • Psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning, and impact (CORRECT)
  • Dependability, structure and clarity, understanding, meaning, and impact
  • Dependability, methodology, structure and clarity, mastery, and impact

Correct: Teams are most productive when project managers use these five factors to create an effective work environment.

2. Which three of the following statements are generally true of teams that feel a sense of psychological safety?

  • Team members are comfortable resolving interpersonal conflict. (CORRECT)
  • Team members don’t require frequent communication with the project manager.
  • Team members know they can seek different opinions. (CORRECT)
  • Team members feel comfortable taking risks. (CORRECT)

Correct: The most effective teams can communicate respectfully and solve internal conflicts. They also know they can seek different opinions and feel comfortable taking risks.

Correct: The most effective teams know they can seek other opinions without negative consequences. They also feel comfortable taking risks and resolving interpersonal conflict.

Correct: The most effective teams know they can take risks without negative consequences. They also know they can seek different opinions and feel comfortable resolving interpersonal conflict.

3. Which key factor of team effectiveness involves setting, negotiating, and meeting expectations?

    • Psychological safety
    • Meaning
    • Dependability (CORRECT)
    • Impact

    Correct: Dependable teams set and meet expectations, are reliable and communicative, and complete their work on time.

4. Which key factor of an effective team provides a clear sense of roles, plans, goals, and how individual work affects the group?

  • Structure and clarity (CORRECT)
  • Meaning
  • Psychological safety
  • Impact

Correct: Teams with structure and clarity understand job expectations and consequences, leading to more effective collaboration.

5. In what way does a team’s sense of meaning impact their effectiveness?

    • Teams complete their work on time.
    • Teams find a sense of purpose in their work or its results. (CORRECT)
    • Teams understand expectations and consequences.
    • Teams feel safe taking risks.

    Correct: Teams do their best work when they find their jobs meaningful.

6.  What can project managers do to build high-functioning teams? Select all that apply.

  • Celebrate team success (CORRECT)
  • Delegate responsibilities (CORRECT)
  • Create systems that turn chaos into order (CORRECT)
  • Use one consistent style of communication across teams

Correct: Celebrating success boosts engagement and morale, so it’s an important tool for motivating teams.

Correct: When project managers delegate, they demonstrate trust and let team members use their particular skills.

Correct: Project managers can provide structure by implementing standard, measurable, and scalable workflows.

7. What happens during the norming stage of team development?

    • The team resolves some of its internal conflict by establishing new norms. (CORRECT)
    • The team gets to know one another, and the project manager provides guidance.
    • The team celebrates its success and disbands as the product wraps up.
    • The team works together seamlessly to complete tasks, reach milestones, and make progress.

    Correct: The team resolves some of its internal conflict as they develop processes and workflows that make it easier for everyone to get things done.

8. Which factor that impacts team effectiveness refers to an individual’s perception of the consequences of taking interpersonal risks?

    • Structure and clarity
    • Impact
    • Meaning
    • Psychological safety (CORRECT)
    • Dependability

    Correct: Psychological safety refers to an individual’s perception of the consequences of taking interpersonal risks. It is important that team members believe that it is safe to take risks within their team, seek the opinions of others, and resolve conflicts that arise.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: MANAGING TEAM DEVELOPMENT AND DYNAMICS

1. Imagine you are a project manager and two of your team members disagree about how to approach a workflow problem. The debate leads to a personal conflict, so you listen to their arguments and propose a compromise that will move the project forward. During which stage of team development does this scenario take place?

  • Performing
  • Storming (CORRECT)
  • Norming
  • Forming

Correct: During the storming stage, you should listen to your team and try to resolve conflicts.

2. Imagine you are managing a local craft festival and one of the vendors requests a larger booth at the last minute.You delegate the issue to your operations coordinator because you’re confident they can resolve it effectively. During which stage of team development does this scenario take place?

    • Norming
    • Forming
    • Performing (CORRECT)
    • Storming

    Correct: During the performing stage, you should focus on delegating, motivating, and maintaining the team’s momentum.

3. Imagine you are managing a team of people who haven’t worked together before. You decide to schedule a lunch for the team to get acquainted and learn about the project. During which stage of team development does this scenario take place?

  • Norming
  • Performing
  • Forming (CORRECT)
  • Storming

Correct: During the forming stage, individuals on the team are just getting to know one another. At this time, you should provide guidance and clarify roles, goals, and context.

4. Imagine as a project manager on a new project, you introduce a new task check-in process to the team. The team picks up the process quickly, and you decide to continue it for the remainder of the project. During which stage of team development does this scenario take place?

    • Performing
    • Forming
    • Norming (CORRECT)
    • Storming

    Correct: During the norming stage, you should codify norms, communicate them to the team, and reinforce them when needed.

5. What should project managers do to manage team dynamics? Select all that apply.

  • Understand how to motivate the team. (CORRECT)
  • Create a safe and collaborative environment. (CORRECT)
  • Forge a consensus and set clear goals. (CORRECT)
  • Allow team members to set their own task dependencies.

Correct: Teams function more cohesively when team members understand their roles and goals. Project managers should also forge a consensus, set clear goals, and create a safe and collaborative environment.

Correct: When team members feel safe, they’re willing to help one another and accept help when they need it. Project managers should also forge a consensus, set clear goals, and motivate the team.

Correct: Team members have different skill sets and competing priorities. Project managers should set clear goals so that teams can focus on the tasks at hand. Project managers should also create a safe and collaborative environment and motivate the team.

6.  What three things can a manager do to lead inclusively?

  • Encourage a results-oriented culture based on competition
  • Create equal opportunity to succeed (CORRECT)
  • Invite and integrate diverse perspectives (CORRECT)
  • Foster a culture of respect (CORRECT)

Correct: To create equal opportunity to succeed, project managers should ensure that each team member has access to the information and resources they need to do their best work. It’s also important to foster a culture of respect and to invite and integrate diverse perspectives.

Correct: To invite and integrate diverse perspectives, project managers need to cultivate a culture in which each team member’s perspective can be shared, heard, and integrated in decision-making. It’s also important to foster a culture of respect and create equal opportunities for team members to succeed.

Correct: To foster a culture of respect, a project manager should serve as a role model. They can set the tone for the team, model values, and take action when needed. It’s also important to create equal opportunities for team members to succeed and to invite and integrate diverse perspectives.

7. Which of the following four steps for influencing can be increased by your expertise and relationships?

  • Connect emotionally
  • Establish credibility (CORRECT)
  • Frame for common ground
  • Provide evidence

Correct: Credibility comes from two sources: expertise and relationships. You need to demonstrate to your audience that you’re an expert on a given topic and convey relationship credibility by establishing that you’re honest, trustworthy, and someone who they want to work with.

GOOGLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSERA ANSWERS AND STUDY GUIDE

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Weekly Breakdown | Google Study Guides | Back to Top

Project Execution: Running the Project WEEKLY CHALLENGE 4

1. Which of the following are true of teams? Select all that apply.

  • Encourage accountability (CORRECT)
  • Follow the directives of a single person
  • Foster creativity (CORRECT)
  • Collaborate to solve problems in service of a shared goal (CORRECT)

Correct: Understanding how individual tasks impact the rest of the team can be a powerful motivator.

Correct: Teams can use their diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences to develop better solutions.

2. Imagine you manage a large marketing team working on a new campaign. You want each individual to understand their job expectations and the consequences of their performance. To aid in this, you set up a central project tracker so the team can follow their progress. Which of the five elements of effective teams does this scenario demonstrate?

  • Dependability
  • Structure and clarity (CORRECT)
  • Psychological safety
  • Meaning

Correct: Implementing a tracker will give the team more task clarity, feel more united, and be able to effectively collaborate.

3. Imagine you lead a team that keeps failing to hit its weekly targets. To help them get back on track, you ask them to record the time they spend on each task for five days. You then use this data to better scale the team’s work to hit upcoming targets. Which aspect of effective team building does this scenario demonstrate?

  • Delegate responsibility and prioritize tasks (INCORRECT)
  • Create systems that turn chaos into order (CORRECT)
  • Promote trust and psychological safety (INCORRECT)
  • Demonstrate empathy and create motivation (INCORRECT)

4. In what two ways can project managers listen and communicate effectively?

  • Hold regular team meetings (CORRECT)
  • Ask team members how they prefer to communicate (CORRECT)
  • Create motivation by rewarding good work
  • Celebrate team success and milestones

Correct: Team meetings provide space for conveying information and listening to feedback.

Correct: Learning your team members’ communication styles can help you connect with them individually.

5. What responsibilities do project managers have during the forming stage of team development? Select all that apply.

  • Clarify project roles and goals (CORRECT)
  • Listen as the team addresses problems
  • Provide context about the project (CORRECT)
  • Establish new team norms

Correct: Teams are seeking guidance during the forming stage, and it’s the project manager’s role to provide that guidance.

Correct: Teams are seeking guidance during the forming stage, and it’s the project manager’s role to provide that guidance.

6. What can project managers do to support ethical and inclusive leadership? Select all that apply.

  • Create equal opportunities for team members to succeed (CORRECT)
  • Invite and integrate diverse perspectives (CORRECT)
  • Delegate tasks and motivate team members
  • Foster a culture of respect (CORRECT)

Correct: Project managers can ensure their teams have what they need by checking in regularly and providing accessible documentation.

Correct: Project managers can integrate diverse perspectives by inviting team members to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns.

Correct: Project managers can set a tone of respect by modeling values, responding to misconduct, and recognizing team contributions.

7.What are Jay A. Conger’s four steps to effective influencing?

  • Establish credibility, frame for common ground, provide evidence, and connect emotionally (CORRECT)
  • Motivate the team; manage team dynamics, resolve conflicts, and celebrate milestones
  • Form the team, storm through conflict, norm practices, and perform actions
  • Create equal opportunities, foster a culture of respect; demonstrate ethical leadership, and align values with the team

Correct: Getting people to consider new ideas isn’t easy, but Conger’s four steps can help you approach these conversations thoughtfully.

8. Which source of organizational power refers to the people you’re connected with professionally and personally?

  • Reputation
  • Network (CORRECT)
  • Character
  • Role

Correct: Having strong connections can boost your ability to influence others and help them build networks of their own

9. Which of the following are steps in the ethical decision-making framework developed by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics? Select all that apply.

  • Weigh the benefits.
  • Recognize an ethical issue. (CORRECT)
  • Evaluate alternative actions. (CORRECT)
  • Make a decision and test it. (CORRECT)
  • Get the facts. (CORRECT)

10. Which of the following statements best describes a project manager providing air cover for their team?

  • Fills in where there are task and skill gaps within the team
  • Shields teammates from having to communicate with stakeholders and leadership
  • Supports and protects a team from out-of-scope requests or criticism from leadership (CORRECT)
  • Creates a proposal to increase the project’s timeline, budget, or scope

11.Which of the following are true of work groups? Select all that apply.

  • They work with minimal oversight.
  • They work toward a common goal. (CORRECT)
  • Their work is independent of a managerial hierarchy.
  • Their work is coordinated or controlled by a single person or entity. (CORRECT)

Correct: A work group depends on an organizational or managerial hierarchy. Its members coordinate mainly with the group manager and work toward a common goal.

Correct: Unlike a team, a work group depends on an organizational or managerial hierarchy. Its members complete tasks independently and coordinate mainly with the group manager.

12. Imagine you manage a large marketing team working on a new campaign. You want each individual to understand their job expectations and the consequences of their performance. To aid in this, you set up a central project tracker so the team can follow their progress. Which of the five elements of effective teams does this scenario demonstrate?

  • Dependability
  • Structure and clarity (CORRECT)
  • Psychological safety
  • Meaning

Correct: Implementing a tracker will give the team more task clarity, feel more united, and be able to effectively collaborate.

13. Imagine you are project managing a merger between two healthcare companies. The project is large and complex, so you send out weekly emails highlighting the most important tasks. Which aspect of effective team building does this scenario demonstrate?

  • Listen and ask questions
  • Celebrate team success
  • Promote psychological safety
  • Prioritize tasks (CORRECT)

Correct: Prioritizing tasks reduces ambiguity and keeps the team focused on project goals.

14. In what two ways can project managers listen and communicate effectively?

  • Celebrate team success and milestones
  • Ask team members how they prefer to communicate (CORRECT)
  • Create motivation by rewarding good work
  • Hold regular team meetings (CORRECT)

Correct: Learning your team members’ communication styles can help you connect with them individually.

15. What are Bruce Tuckman’s five stages of team development?

  • Conforming, warming, norming, transforming, conforming
  • Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning (CORRECT)
  • Forming, warming, informing, performing, adjourning
  • Conforming, storming, informing, transforming, adjourning

Correct: These stages illustrate how a team grows from a disparate group of people into a high-functioning unit.

16. Imagine your company enacted new, family-friendly policies in order to support and retain employees. Benefits include longer paid leave, flexible work hours, and on-site daycare. Which leadership quality do these changes demonstrate?

  • Democratic leadership
  • Inclusive leadership (CORRECT)
  • Strategic leadership
  • Authoritative leadership

Correct: Inclusive leadership respects and values different identities, backgrounds, and experiences and integrates them into how a team operates.

17. Which of the following are common mistakes when one attempts to influence others? Select all that apply.

  • Connect emotionally with their audience
  • Approach their audience too aggressively (CORRECT)
  • Assume they can work through issues quickly (CORRECT)
  • Resist compromise (CORRECT)

Correct: Taking an aggressive stance can limit your ability to influence others and build productive relationships.

Correct: Trying to rush delicate conversations can limit your ability to influence others and build productive relationships.

Correct: Rejecting new perspectives can limit your ability to influence others and build productive relationships.

18. As a project manager, which of the following are your organizational sources of power? Select all that apply.

  • Reputation (CORRECT)
  • Network (CORRECT)
  • Character
  • Role (CORRECT)

Correct: When others perceive you in a positive way, it’s easier to influence them to do great work.

Correct: Having strong connections can boost your ability to influence others and help them build networks of their own.

Correct: Your role as a project manager gives you a certain level of power and influence over projects.

19. Which of the following is not a step in the ethical decision-making framework developed by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics?

  • Evaluate alternative actions.
  • Get the facts.
  • Consider the personal benefits. (CORRECT)
  • Make a decision and test it.

20. Which of the following statements best describes a project manager providing air cover for their team?

  • Fills in where there are task and skill gaps within the team
  • Shields teammates from having to communicate with stakeholders and leadership
  • Supports and protects a team from out-of-scope requests or criticism from leadership (CORRECT)
  • Creates a proposal to increase the project’s timeline, budget, or scope

21. Which three of the following are benefits of teamwork?

  • Fosters creativity (CORRECT)
  • Clarifies roles and responsibilities
  • Helps teams meet project goals (CORRECT)
  • Encourages accountability (CORRECT)

Correct: Teams can use their diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences to develop better solutions.

Correct: Complex projects meet their goals when team members work together to complete tasks and reach milestones.

Correct: Understanding how individual tasks impact the rest of the team can be a powerful motivator.

22. Which of the five factors that impact team effectiveness is the most important?

  • Psychological safety (CORRECT)
  • Meaning
  • Impact
  • Dependability

23. Imagine you are managing a long-term project with few clear milestones. To keep up momentum and morale, you wrap up weekly meetings by highlighting the team’s best work. Which aspect of effective team building does this scenario demonstrate?

  • Delegate responsibility
  • Prioritize tasks
  • Create motivation (CORRECT)
  • Listen and ask questions (INCORRECT)

24. In what two ways can project managers promote psychological safety?

  • Schedule time for thoughtful, inclusive discussions (CORRECT)
  • Reduce ambiguity by prioritizing tasks
  • Encourage contributions from team members of all ranks (CORRECT)
  • Create standardized, measurable, and scalable workflows

Correct: Having a forum for discussion helps teams feel safer challenging processes and workflows.

Correct: Asking to hear from the whole team lets them know that you value and welcome their critiques.

25.  Imagine your company introduces a new feedback system for employees to share ideas, report grievances, and receive follow-ups from leadership. This helps to align values within the team and promotes honesty, respect, and integrity. Which leadership quality does this change demonstrate?

  • Democratic leadership
  • Ethical leadership (CORRECT)
  • Inclusive leadership
  • Strategic leadership

Correct: Ethical leadership creates forums where employees can raise viewpoints, be understood, and receive follow-ups.

26. Which of the following are common mistakes when one attempts to influence others? Select all that apply.

  • Approach their audience too aggressively (CORRECT)
  • Assume they can work through issues quickly (CORRECT)
  • Connect emotionally with their audience
  • Resist compromise (CORRECT)

Correct: Taking an aggressive stance can limit your ability to influence others and build productive relationships.

Correct: Trying to rush delicate conversations can limit your ability to influence others and build productive relationships.

Correct: Rejecting new perspectives can limit your ability to influence others and build productive relationships.

27. Which step in the ethical decision-making framework could include a question such as “Which option will produce the most good and do the least harm?”

  • Evaluate alternative actions. (CORRECT)
  • Make a decision and test it.
  • Recognize an ethical issue.
  • Act and reflect on the outcome.

28. Which of the following statements best describes a project manager providing air cover for their team?

  • Shields teammates from having to communicate with stakeholders and leadership
  • Supports and protects a team from out-of-scope requests or criticism from leadership (CORRECT)
  • Fills in where there are task and skill gaps within the team
  • Creates a proposal to increase the project’s timeline, budget, or scope

29. Which of the following include visual representations of data? Select all that apply.

  • Information
  • Character (CORRECT)
  • Knowledge (CORRECT)
  • Role

Correct: Qualities like honesty, integrity, and kindness can make you a strong, supportive leader.

Correct: The power you draw from your skills and expertise makes it easier for others to trust your opinions.

30. Which of the following are strategies a project manager can use to provide air cover for their team? Select all that apply.

  • Take on tasks when stakeholders request additional work
  • Limit teammates’ knowledge of stakeholder requests (CORRECT)
  • Increase the project’s scope to satisfy stakeholder requests
  • Reject a stakeholder request without explicitly saying “no” (CORRECT)

31. As a project manager, you want to create an environment where teammates are reliable and able to complete their work on time. Which of the five elements of effective teams does this represent?

  • Structure and clarity
  • Psychological safety
  • Dependability (CORRECT)
  • Impact.

32. Which of the following actions can a project manager take to support team development? Select all that apply.

  • Celebrate final milestones and successes (CORRECT)
  • Delegate tasks and motivate team members (CORRECT)
  • Encourage competition between team members
  • Resolve conflicts and listen as the team addresses problems (CORRECT)

33. What are the four main organizational sources of power?

Role, information, network, and reputation (CORRECT)

34. Imagine a tech company wants to use another firm’s processor in its new laptop. The project manager writes to the firm’s CEO about the mutual benefits and projected sales numbers. Which steps of effective influencing is the project manager demonstrating? Select all that apply.

  • Connect emotionally
  • Provide evidence (CORRECT)
  • Establish credibility
  •  Frame for common ground (CORRECT)

35. As a project manager, you want to provide air cover for your team by not explicitly saying “no” to a stakeholder’s request. Which of the following are two possible strategies to achieve this?

  • Refer the stakeholder to project management best practices such as how to effectively complete a project.
  • Offer to get back to the stakeholder once you gather more information, which may provide time for the stakeholder to reconsider their request. (CORRECT)
  • Have each teammate email the stakeholder giving their perspectives on why the request cannot be completed.
  • Explain to the stakeholder that their request won’t be possible under the current constraints of the project. (CORRECT)

36. In what two ways does delegating work make project managers more effective leaders?

  • Gives team members a chance to add value to the project (CORRECT)
  • Allows project managers to focus on the project as a whole (CORRECT)
  • Lets team members feel safe asking questions
  • Makes project managers better at meeting stakeholder needs

37. What can project managers do to listen and communicate effectively? Select all that apply.

  • Hold regular team meetings (CORRECT)
  • Ask team members how they prefer to communicate (CORRECT)

38. As a project manager, which three of the following are your organizational sources of power? Select all that apply.

  • Network (CORRECT)
  • Reputation (CORRECT)
  • Character
  • Role (CORRECT)

39. Imagine your company introduces a new feedback system for employees to share ideas and report grievances anonymously. Which leadership quality does this change demonstrate?

Ethical leadership (CORRECT)

40. Which of the following are benefits of teamwork? Select all that apply.

  • Helps teams meet project goals (CORRECT)
  • Fosters creativity (CORRECT)
  • Encourages accountability (CORRECT)

41. What can project managers do to promote psychological safety? Select all that apply

  • Encourage contributions from team members of all ranks (CORRECT)
  • Schedule time for thoughtful, inclusive discussions (CORRECT)

Leadership and Influencing Skills conclusion

This week, you learned how to manage quality using various techniques. You will also explore continuous improvement and process improvement techniques and how to conduct a retrospective during the project to improve processes.

Finally, you will discover how to create an ethical and inclusive environment where high-functioning teams work together to achieve project goals. Join now at Coursera.org!