Human Resource Management Exam 3

Which of the following is the best example of reverse mentoring?

A mid-level manager cycles through project roles in several departments to develop cross-functional expertise.

Which of the following is true of alternative dispute resolution (ADR)?

ADR follows a distinct set of actions with a goal of resolving disputes in as few steps as possible.

________requires employees to understand the entire work system.

Continuous learning

An important part of the onboarding process is to explain the history, values, and mission of the company. The ________ step is necessary for employees to understand where they work and their role in the success of the company.

Culture

Which of the following is true of training and development?

Development is critical for talent management, particularly for those with leadership potential.

________interviews with departing workers can be a valuable tool for uncovering systematic concerns that are driving retention problems.

Exit

A disadvantage of distance learning is the high travel costs incurred during training.

False

An advantage of quality-based rating scales is an increased interrater reliability.

False

Based on the career management process, when an employee takes a self-assessment test, the first step in the process is to identify the needs that are realistic to develop.

False

Henry Liu, a staff accountant at Williams and Associates, has been transferred to another division inside his company to do the same job. He expects that this change will necessarily come with an increase in job responsibilities and a significant pay raise. Henry's expectations are appropriate.

False

Learning and development specialists at the FLX Corporation were designing a new training program on business analytics. They reached the point where they had selected the training methods for the program. The next step in the training design process is to ensure the transfer of training.

False

Michaela Harris, a software engineering student at a top engineering school, is excited that she received a summer apprenticeship at a business software development firm. She believes this means she will have a guaranteed job with the firm after the summer.

False

Older employees tend to have more confidence in the fairness of social performance management than younger employees do.

False

Onboarding allows a company to check for differences between units and hence benchmark "best practices" that might be generalized across units.

False

Quality-based performance methods are quite easy to develop and are generalizable across a variety of jobs, strategies, and organizations.

False

The Scorpio Corporation uses productivity as a key indicator of employee job performance and it has found that it is consistent over time. Based on this, it can be said that the productivity measure is valid.

False

The Zebra product development team at the Pepperdine Corporation participated in joint work efforts and spending a lot of time together on an informal basis. This will result in a reduction in group cohesiveness and supportive behaviors between team members

False

The use of work experiences in training is higher than that in development.

False

There is a general consensus among most theories of employee satisfaction that withdrawal behaviors are unrelated to one another.

False

Tuition reimbursement is the practice of reimbursing training costs when an employee leaves the organization during training.

False

________is a factor to be considered in analyzing poor performance.

Input

Which of the following is true of an action plan for training?

It is a written document that ensures training transfers to the job.

Which of the following is true of voluntary turnover?

It is initiated by the employee.

Which of the following statements about training is correct?

It makes very little use of employees' work experiences.

Johan Schmidt, an electrical engineer at the Orwell Manufacturing Company, has started to call in sick when there is a scheduled meeting and asks to leave early on days when reports are due. How do you know that Johan is experiencing job withdrawal?

Job withdrawal is a set of behaviors that dissatisfied individuals enact to avoid the work situation.

The ________ is based on a theory that emphasizes that each individual has a fundamental personality type that shapes and influences how the individual understands the world, processes information, and socializes.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Engineers at the Eldorado Corporation collected data of different types of manufacturing defects in decreasing order of occurrence to better understand how to improve product quality in the future. This is an example of a

Pareto chart

________ analysis involves identifying who needs training and determining employees' readiness for training.

Person

________ are job experiences in which there is a mismatch between an employee's existing skills and past experiences and the skills required for success on the job.

Stretch assignments

Which of the following is true about the quality approach to performance measurement?

The quality approach adopts a systems-oriented focus.

Which of the following is true about the results approach to performance management?

The results approach minimizes subjectivity, relying on objective, quantifiable indicators of performance.

Which of the following observations is true about scattergrams?

They help employees determine whether the relationship between two variables or events is positive, negative, or zero.

Which of the following is true of the presentation method of training?

This method of training can be used to transfer alternative problem-solving solutions.

Formal education programs include off-site and on-site programs designed specifically for the company's employees.

True

HR managers at the Coldwater Corporation need to decide whether to use classroom-based training or on-the-job training for delivery of its project management workshop. One argument in favor of using on-the-job training is that it needs less investment in time and money.

True

Management at Wingo, a massive national discount retail store chain, redesigned the job of sales associate in the company by adding challenges or new responsibilities to the job in order to motivate workers. This is an example of job enlargement.

True

Management at the Asteroid Corporation is frustrated with the level of subjectivity and rater bias associated with the company's current performance management system. They decide to adopt a 360-degree feedback system to overcome the weaknesses of the existing system. This was an appropriate action by management.

True

Most mentoring relationships develop informally as a result of interests or values shared by the mentor and protégé.

True

Quality specialists at the Rocket Corporation collected data on the different types of breakdowns in production employee job performance and plotted them in a bar chart showing the relative frequency of these different performance problems. This is an example of a Pareto analysis.

True

Succession planning ensures that top-level managerial talent is available.

True

The Houser Corporation promoted career opportunities for workers that focused on exploring opportunities related mostly to their jobs or professions rather than the company. This is an example of a boundaryless organization.

True

There is a strong link between employee satisfaction and retention, on the one hand, and critical organizational outcomes, on the other hand.

True

Visible support of the performance management process by the CEO and senior management ensures that the system is consistently used across the company.

True

You have been hired by senior management at the Traction Corporation as an HR consultant. Management needs your recommendation for what the company should focus on to enhance job satisfaction among its workforce of 20,000 people. You tell them that based on job satisfaction research, they should focus on enhancing the effectiveness of their personnel selection practices. This was an appropriate recommendation.

True

One of the objectives of management at the LMX Corporation is for the diversity program that it created to ensure fair treatment of all employees in the workplace regardless of their backgrounds. To do this, which method would be most appropriate?

alternative dispute resolution

Which of the following is an exercise, used in assessment centers, where employees answer questions about their work, personal experiences, and skill strengths and weaknesses?

an interview

Margita Ortiz, a general manager at the LXT Corporation, has a direct report who is struggling with meeting his production quotas and attendance. Based on this situation, Margita should not use the ________ approach as it will not provide guidance on improving employee behavior.

attribute

Instructional designers at a mass merchandise retail company want to create a training program that will enhance the interpersonal skills of sales associates. Which training method would be most appropriate for this training program?

behavioral modeling

With its strong emphasis on mentoring and cross-functional training, employees at Elite, Incorporated. can readily take on more responsibility and move up in the organization. Elite Incorporated's ________ is considered a model for other companies in the sector.

bench strength

General managers at the Forrest Corporation scheduled a meeting to discuss the process for conducting performance reviews of all employees in the company. The purpose of the meeting was to clarify rating standards and best practices for ensuring that performance was evaluated consistently across managers and to reduce the influence of rating errors and politics on appraisals. This is an example of a

calibration meeting

General managers at the Forrest Corporation scheduled a meeting to discuss the process for conducting performance reviews of all employees in the company. The purpose of the meeting was to clarify rating standards and best practices for ensuring that performance was evaluated consistently across managers and to reduce the influence of rating errors and politics on appraisals. This is an example of a

calibration meeting.

Trainers at the Silver Corporation need to conduct sexual harassment training to more than 1,000 employees within a one-month period of time so the efficiency of the delivery of training is critical. Given this, which training method would be most appropriate?

classroom instruction

________outcomes are used to measure the acquisition of knowledge

cognitive

When conducting an organizational analysis as part of a training needs assessment, which of the following types of information would be appropriate to analyze?

company strategy

The steps in an effective onboarding process, from start to finish, are

compliance, clarification, culture, and connection.

In the graphic rating scale, the rater

considers one employee at a time, circling the number that signifies how much of that trait the individual has.

Which of the following determinants of procedural justice requires that the procedure has built-in safeguards that allow one to appeal mistakes or bad decisions?

correctability

Training is different from development in that

development aims to prepare employees for changes, while training prepares them for current jobs.

The _______ system is used to retain and motivate employees by identifying and meeting their developmental needs.

development planning

In what legal suit would the plaintiff allege that the performance measurement system varied according to individuals?

discrimination suit

Alternative dispute resolution is a method of resolving disputes that

does not rely on the legal system.

The key to a successful foreign assignment is a combination of training and career management for the employee and the

employee's family

With regard to supervision, employee satisfaction is likely to be highest when

employees get the support needed to achieve their goal.

Instructional designers at the Tectron Corporation are developing a presentation skills training program for managers. They started by conducting a needs assessment to determine training objectives. Which of the following would be the next stage in the training design process?

ensuring employees' readiness for training

Which of the following determinants of procedural justice requires that the procedure is consistent with prevailing moral standards in terms of invasion of privacy or deception?

ethicality

Organizations that introduce ________systems where low performers are systematically identified and, where necessary, eliminated from payrolls often experience quick improvement gains.

forced distributions rating

Meryl Rogers, a customer service representative at the Spring Hill Corporation, has been spending a lot of her time and energy on taking online certificate courses in project management. She is doing this so she can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to manage larger projects using best practices. Which approach to employee development would Meryl be using?

formal education programs

ScoreSet Inc. decided to implement a new performance management system. It consisted of a form that included a list of five traits used to evaluate all the employees. The manager considered one employee at a time and, on a continuum with different scale points, circled the number that signified how much of a particular trait the individual has. Which type of performance management system is ScoreSet Inc. using

graphic rating scale

The first step in task analysis is to

identify the jobs to be examined.

The initial steps of the performance management cycle involve

identifying what the company is trying to accomplish (goals or objectives), creating a set of key performance dimensions, and developing performance measures.

José Ramos is a production manager at GreenCorp International. He is the manager of more than 100 production workers at the company. He experiences many performance and behavioral issues with his workers and some of the cases require formal intervention to resolve. The company has an alternative dispute resolution process (ADR). When a given case with an employee requires the use of ADR, the first thing that José must do is

instigate an open-door policy.

Davis Holmes and Kenisha Watkins, sales managers at the Revolution Corporation, both conduct independent performance evaluations of all employees on the sales team. If their ratings are consistent with each other, then it can be said that this performance management system possesses ________ reliability.

interrater

Job ________ is the degree to which people identify themselves with their jobs.

involvement

Management at the Orion Corporation attempted to redesign the jobs of entry-level workers in all functional units by building more responsibility and autonomy in decision-making into their jobs. This is an example of

job enrichment.

Selina Martinez, a general manager at the Starbright Corporation, wants her team to fully understand all of their job duties and responsibilities. To support this, she often moves individuals from one job to another so that team members have a complete picture of the overall functioning of the unit, and they develop a broader set of relevant skills. Selina is using which intervention in this situation?

job rotation

At the Streamwood Corporation, a semiconductor manufacturing company, managers and workers from all levels of the company work together using various tools and methods to focus on the continuous improvement of core business processes. This is an example of

kaizen.

Tristan Connor, a manager at the TYX Corporation, has been dealing with a poor-performing employee for a couple months. Based on the company's progressive discipline process, Tristan has held multiple meetings with the problem employee in an attempt to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, it looks like the employee may need to be terminated. However, before terminating the employee, Tristan needs to provide a(n)

last chance notification.

Gloria Chu, a general manager at the MotoX Corporation, wants all of her team members to receive a raise, so she gives them all a high performance rating, regardless of their actual job performance. Which of the following errors is she falling prey to?

leniency

Managers are involved in traditional performance management process, while ________ are involved in continuous performance management.

managers, peers, and direct reports

In an alternative dispute resolution method, the stage during which the two people involved in the conflict attempt to arrive at a settlement without any third parties involved is known as

open-door policy.

The Star Corporation uses a formal process through which managers assess how well each employee is performing his or her job. This is known as

performance appraisal.

Daniela Lopez was hired to work on data analytics tasks and responsibilities, but after she started, the job quickly changed to project management. Her supervisor noticed that her performance was declining. Which analysis should her supervisor complete?

person

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a

personality assessment

An employee who engages in absenteeism is displaying job dissatisfaction through

physical withdrawal.

A major pressure point for training is

poor or substandard job performance.

Management at the Photon Corporation, an automobile manufacturer, uses statistical process quality control techniques to identify redundancies in processes that increase manufacturing time. This is an example of

process-flow analyses.

The ________approach assumes that subjectivity can be eliminated from the measurement process and that outcomes are the closest indicators of one's contribution to organizational effectiveness.

results

Management trainees at the PNX Corporation participate in a learning activity where they are placed into realistic work situations and required to make decisions about how to respond to various challenges. PNX Corporation is using

simulations.

A business analyst conducts statistical analysis of performance data and makes recommendations to decision makers based on the results. This is an example of a

task statement.

In the context of factors that influence the motivation to learn, when an organization seeks to convince employees that they can successfully learn the content of a training program, the organization is primarily focusing on improving

the self-efficacy of the employees.

The movement of an employee to a different job assignment in a different area of the company is known as a(n)

transfer

Which of the following stages in the training design process involves self-management strategies and peer and manager support?

transfer of training

Workers who completed a classroom-based training program on team building learned many concepts and principles for effective teamwork, but they did not apply any of what they learned in performing their jobs after the training. This is a problem with

transfer of training.

Job satisfaction is a function of ________, which can be defined as what a person consciously or unconsciously desires to obtain.

values

A group of workers at the PBX Corporation were frustrated by what they felt was the company exploiting workers and not being committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to get management to respond to their concerns, these workers decided to tell their story on various social media platforms to bring about change at the company. This is an example of

whistle-blowers.

Trainers at the Riverdale Corporation need to evaluate the degree to which new hires have acquired knowledge of various scientific concepts and principles to support their work on research teams. Which method should they use in this situation?

work samples

Most attempts to measure job satisfaction rely on

workers' self-reports.

With respect to employee termination, a(n) ________suit typically attempts to establish that the termination either violated an implied covenant or violated public policy.

wrongful discharge