Module 2 Graded Quiz: Cultures of Safety :Leading Teams: Building Effective Team Cultures (Strategic Leadership and Management Specialization) Answers 2025

Question 1

According to Amy Edmondson’s research findings on team performance in hospitals, which of the following is MOST accurate?

✅ High performing teams reported more mistakes.
❌ Low performing teams did not fear humiliation.
❌ High and low performing teams made the same number of mistakes.
❌ High performing teams reached success due to motivation by fear.

Explanation:
High-performing teams were more willing to report mistakes because they felt psychologically safe—not because they made more errors.

Question 2

What is the concept of “psychological safety” in the context of teamwork?

❌ Creating a culture of punishment and criticism for mistakes
❌ Believing that the team will reject or embarrass someone for speaking up
✅ Fostering an environment for taking risks and admitting mistakes
❌ Offering guaranteed applause and positive feedback for all contributions

Explanation:
Psychological safety means team members feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and admit mistakes without fear.

Question 3

Why is psychological safety considered vital for realizing the benefits of diversity?

❌ It guarantees that everyone in the organization feels a sense of belonging.
❌ It fosters a dominant culture that inhibits dissenting views.
✅ It enables inclusion and encourages the expression of diverse perspectives.
❌ It reduces the need for deliberate acts of inclusion and trust dynamics.

Explanation:
Diversity adds value only when people feel safe enough to share different ideas and viewpoints.

Question 4

What should a leader do to foster psychological safety within the team?

❌ Be the first to speak up to set a dominant tone
❌ Keep failings and hard facts hidden
❌ Ignore mistakes
✅ Demonstrate vulnerability, acknowledge mistakes, and encourage learning.

Explanation:
Leaders model psychological safety by owning mistakes and promoting learning, not fear.

Question 5

A Below-the-Surface leader ensures psychological safety by being competitive and focusing on personal gains.

❌ True
✅ False

Explanation:
Below-the-surface leadership prioritizes power and self-interest, which undermines psychological safety.

Question 6

Increases in employee satisfaction, higher team performance, and reduced burnout are outcomes of ___________________.

❌ authoritarian leadership
✅ strong ethical culture
❌ management focus on efficiency
❌ organizational norms only when formally documented

Explanation:
A strong ethical culture supports trust, fairness, and psychological safety.

Question 7

Mountain climbing teams that reached summits but had member deaths are described as ___________________.

❌ focused teams
❌ teams with equal power distribution
❌ ethical teams
✅ high power distance teams

Explanation:
High power distance discouraged team members from speaking up about dangers, leading to fatalities.

Question 8

Holacracy is likely to fail because humans prefer some hierarchy in groups.

❌ True
✅ False

Explanation:
Flat structures can work; failure is not inevitable, but depends on leadership, clarity, and culture.

Question 9

An outcome-oriented team fosters psychological safety because __________________.

❌ output is strictly tracked
✅ team members believe they can contribute to organizational success
❌ hierarchy becomes boring
❌ focus shifts to hours worked

Explanation:
When outcomes matter, people feel valued for contribution, not punished for speaking up.

Question 10

In remote teams, leaders should ___________________.

❌ hide struggles to avoid humiliation
❌ interpret unclear messages as hostile
✅ be explicit about appreciation and communicate it in multiple ways
❌ ignore disengaged teammates

Explanation:
Remote teams require clear, intentional appreciation to maintain trust and safety.

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