Question 1:

Yasmine works for a celebrity as a personal assistant. Although she hates her job, she often finds herself smiling for the camera at events, telling reporters how great the celebrity is that she assists for (even though the actress is a tyrant, verbally abusive, and has no appreciation for anyone but herself). One day, when asked to go get her celebrity dog food, Yasmine blurts out, "I hate the way you treat me!" The celebrity, shocked and taken aback, responds with, "I never knew you felt this way." Based on the scenario above, explain Yasmine's behavior in terms of emotional labor. Would it help Yasmine to use deep acting if she wants to maintain her position as this celebrity's personal assistant? Why or why not?

Question 2:

Amelia is a manager of three employees. She notices that one of her long time subordinates, Gina (who has been with the company for 8 years), has seemed very distant from the other team members. In fact, she even seems cold to anyone she interacts with. When Amelia asks Gina into her office and shows concern for Gina's mood state, Gina responds, "It's just that I have a lot going on in my life. I come here and it's about work which is good. Honestly, I'm not feeling anything right now. I'm neutral." Amelia responds, "It's not possible to be neutral Gina. You're feeling something." Based on your understanding of emotions, who is correct in their conclusion on Gina's current mental state? Why?.

Question 3:

Jenna Downey is an engineer on a cross-functional team at Ford Motor Company. The team was put together two years ago to develop a new hybrid truck. A few days ago, Jenna complained to her manager that she didn't feel the project was going well. When asked why, Jenna stated the following:

"Our team has gotten stagnant. We don't brainstorm the way we used to. We sit in a room and go over the design and, instead of thinking outside the box or playing devil's advocate, we talk about the weather and make the same decisions we've always made. I know I don't feel comfortable sharing ideas with the group that isn't our "status quo" kind of solution and I'm sure most of my team members would agree. We're on this great project and, yet, nobody's willing to take any risks or voice opinions that not everybody's going to like. I don't know if I can stay on this team."

Based on your understanding of group decision making and the Jenna's comments above, what do you think is occurring in Jenna's group that's making her dissatisfied with the experience? Provide AT LEAST two recommendations of what Jenna can do to eliminate these issues.

Question 4:

What is the difference between a work group and a work team? If you are a manager and your goal is to build an effective virtual team, what ingredients or variables are required if you are to make effective team? Be very specific and detailed in response.