SHRM-CP - MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR TEST

3) The average age of the American workforce is: A. increasing. B. decreasing. C. staying the same. D. fluctuating wildly.

A. increasing.

39) One way human resource planning links to strategic planning is by providing a set of inputs into the: A. strategy formulation process. B. strategy implementation process. C. strategic analysis process. D. source of competitive advantage.

A. strategy formulation process.

68) A plant manager who organizes the plant by separating engineering, accounting, manufacturing, personnel, and purchasing into departments is practicing _____ departmentalization. A. target customer B. product C. functional D. geographic

A. target customer

19) A simple experimental research design would consist of an experimental group, a control group and measurement of both groups before and after the experiment. If significant differences are determined, these are attributed to: A. the experimental variable. B. the "Hawthorne" effect. C. contaminated data. D. behavioral factors.

A. the experimental variable.

5) Which of the following have been shown to hinder the communication process? A. Attribution. B. Ethnocentrism. C. Motivation. D. Technology.

B. Ethnocentrism.

18) Which management function results in relating people, work assignments and physical resources? A. Planning. B. Organizing. C. Directing. D. Controlling.

B. Organizing.

58) Individual motivation is addressed by: A. Maslow's need hierarchy. B. expectancy theory. C. motivation-hygiene theory. D. Herzberg's theory.

B. expectancy theory.

48) _____________________ determines how employees respond to change. A. Management policy B. Group cohesiveness C. Attitude D. Personality

C. Attitude

74) Which measure of variation shows how scores are spread out around a mean? A. Range B. Percentile C. Standard deviation D. Mode

C. Standard deviation

42) Bona fide occupational qualifications can: A. be used to identify adverse impact. B. be based on employer preference. C. permit discrimination by an employer. D. require reasonable accommodation on the part of the employer

C. permit discrimination by an employer.

90) At the beginning of the planning process, management must ask: A. "Why does this organization exist?" B. "Who is responsible for the planning?" C. "Is our corporate culture unique?" D. "What does this organization do better than any other organization?"

D. "What does this organization do better than any other organization?"

61) There are some situations when charismatic leadership would not be needed. Which of the following would be an example of such a situation? A. A business is facing the introduction of a radically new product. B. A business is in its infancy. C. A business is operating during a time of war. D. A business with several years of strong market leadership

D. A business with several years of strong market leadership

84) Which motivation theory could directly support paying high performing incumbents more than incumbents in the same job who perform at lower levels in order to motivate effort? A. Need hierarchy B. Equity C. Motivation-hygiene D. Expectancy

D. Expectancy

8) ________ is/are one of the problems associated with advances in technology. A. Organizational efficiency B. Flexibility C. High level of coordination D. Information overload

D. Information overload

25) What should HR do once the company's mission has been defined? A. Conduct strategic planning in support of the mission. B. Step back and evaluate the organization's goals. C. Initiate a program to change the company's culture. D. Reinforce existing policies to maintain the status quo.

A. Conduct strategic planning in support of the mission.

65) _____ refers to an assortment of noncognitive skills, capabilities, and competencies that influence a person's ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures. A. Emotional intelligence B. AET C. Emotional external constraints D. Affective emotions

A. Emotional intelligence

93) An employee reports to work one morning with a weird hairstyle in order to impress the supervisor. The supervisor ignores this new hairstyle with the expectation that it will not be repeated. What type of behavior modification strategy was employed? A. Extinction B. Punishment C. Negative reinforcement D. Positive reinforcement

A. Extinction

16) According the McClelland's Manifest Needs theory, a person who strongly desires concrete feedback on performance must likely be dominated by which type of need? A. Need for achievement. B. Need for power. C. Need for affiliation. D. Need for security

A. Need for achievement.

21) What is the most important factor contributing to success of a TQM program in an organization? A. Organizational culture supports the TQM program. B. Union acceptance of the TQM program. C. Statistical aptitude of supervisors in quality control. D. Individual rather than group awards for performance.

A. Organizational culture supports the TQM program.

96) Which of the following components is often omitted from a job description? A. The standards of performance. B. What is done on the job. C. Where the job is performed. D. Why the job is done.

A. The standards of performance.

2) What do values tell us? A. What is moral and worthwhile. B. What is expected of us. C. The required behavior to get the job done. D. all of the above.

A. What is moral and worthwhile.

28) The military, government agencies and firms managed by autocratic managers are examples of a(n) ______ culture. A. bureaucratic B. clan C. entrepreneurial D. market

A. bureaucratic

41) Cross-training, job rotations, and the like result in ____________ within the organization. A. coordination flexibility. B. predicted focus. C. organizational capability. D. resource flexibility

A. coordination flexibility. B. predicted focus. C. organizational capability. D. resource flexibility

11) Measuring the degree of association that exists between two or more variables is the purpose of: A. correlation analysis. B. discriminant analysis. C. time series analysis. D. linear programming.

A. correlation analysis.

53) An example of employee-centered leadership behavior occurs when the leader: A. explains decisions to group members. B. sets rules for workers to follow. C. clarifies roles for workers. D. sets goals for the group

A. explains decisions to group members.

38) TQM: A. focuses on understanding customer needs, doing things right the first time, and striving for continuous improvement. B. uses statistical methods to translate customer needs into separate tasks and defining the best way to perform them. C. fundamentally redesigns business processes to achieve improvements in cost, quality, service and speed. E. changes the purpose and function of the HR group.

A. focuses on understanding customer needs, doing things right the first time, and striving for continuous improvement.

70) Diversity training programs are generally intended to provide a vehicle for: A. increasing awareness and examining stereotypes. B. focusing on individual differences. C. eliminating group learning. D. balancing work/life conflicts.

A. increasing awareness and examining stereotypes.

85) An organization that has developed the continuous capacity to adapt and change is termed a(n): A. learning organization. B. continuous improvement process. C. innovative organization. D. double-loop learning organization.

A. learning organization.

89) The grapevine in an organization should be: A. managed by adding accurate information. B. eliminated as much as possible. C. prevented from spreading information across established lines of communication. D. used to ward employees of impending disciplinary actions.

A. managed by adding accurate information.

26) The purpose of establishing a problem-solving leadership culture encourages: A. offspring to assume responsibility for their own self-direction B. highly directive involvement by managers C. the managers to allow the problem to run its course D. neglect and an autocratic style of discipline

A. offspring to assume responsibility for their own self-direction

37) Organizational changes are said to be _________ when external forces have already affected an organization's performance. A. proactive B. intentional C. reactive D. negative

A. proactive B. intentional C. reactive D. negative

52) Which of the following situations illustrates a corporate policy of differentiation? A. A company orders large quantities of parts to get the greatest discount. B. A company develops a product that is uniquely easy to use and charges a premium price. C. The finished product is sold at a lower price than that of the competition. D. A company sells in volume and offers discounts to its best customers.

B. A company develops a product that is uniquely easy to use and charges a premium price.

24) In developing an international HR program, which factor is most critical to the success of an expatriate assignment in a foreign country? A. Equalizing negative tax consequences. B. Adaptation of spouse and family to a foreign country. C. Providing for security of expatriates and family. D. Readjustment training upon repatriation.

B. Adaptation of spouse and family to a foreign country.

76) Tom Richards has determined that each time the operating speed of a mechanical assembly device is increased by 10%, the number of accidents incurred by assembly-line operators also increases by 2%. Based on this fact, Tom has provided his manager with a list of other situations in which the number of accidents may predictably increase. Tom has used which of the following processes? A. Hypothesis formulation B. Deductive reasoning C. Inductive reasoning D. Quantitative analysis

B. Deductive reasoning

1) How can a manager best influence others to bring about organizational change? A. Increase interest in leadership. B. Explore tenets of organizational effectiveness. C. Open discussion of weaknesses. D. Emphasize the exercise of acquired skills.

B. Explore tenets of organizational effectiveness.

86) Which of the following characteristics is most likely to be associated with high stress? A. Considerable job experience B. External locus of control C. A high need to achieve E. Type B behavior

B. External locus of control

77) Which of the following best summarizes the problem of dual-career couples from an HR perspective? A. Women should remain housewives and not compete with their husbands in the job market. B. It is difficult to transfer one member of a dualcareer couple unless some help is given to the spouse in finding suitable employment. C. Most companies have strict rules against hiring spouses. D. Dual-career couples are the primary cause of unemployment.

B. It is difficult to transfer one member of a dualcareer couple unless some help is given to the spouse in finding suitable employment.

72) Which of the following is considered a benefit of action research for an organization? A. Employees can carry out the specific actions to correct the problems identified. B. It is problem focused. C. It is solution centered. D. It is simple to implement.

B. It is problem focused.

4) _______ plays a critical role in the equity theory point of view. A. Expectance B. Perception C. Tension D. Discipline

B. Perception

97) If a goal of an organization development (OD. intervention were to reduce emotional stress for participants, which of the following strategies would be avoided? A. Action research B. Sensitivity training C. Survey feedback D. Team building

B. Sensitivity training

59) In which one of the following areas have individuals been found superior to groups? A. Generating unique ideas B. Thinking out problems that require a long chain of events C. Evaluating ambiguous situations D. Accurately recalling information

B. Thinking out problems that require a long chain of events

7) When an individual becomes a member of an organization, he/she establishes a contract with the organization known as: A. appreciative inquiry. B. a psychological contract. C. a content contract. D. a learning community

B. a psychological contract.

62) One reacts to _____ power out of fear of the negative ramifications that might result if one fails to comply. A. legitimate B. coercive C. punitive D. referent

B. coercive

79) Behavior in reinforcement terms is closely associated with: A. perceived inequities. B. consequences learned from past experiences. C. the employee's level of base pay. D. Managerial leadership style.

B. consequences learned from past experiences.

30) The organizing function involves designing the responsibility and authority of each individual job and ______. A. establishing communication channels. B. determining which of these jobs will be grouped in specific departments. C. deciding which individuals will be assigned to these jobs. D. aligning the jobs within the groups.

B. determining which of these jobs will be grouped in specific departments.

54) Vroom's expectancy theory states that: A. employees dislike rigid controls and want to accomplish something. B. employees' effort is related to the likelihood of success they perceive. C. employees work to meet their physical and social needs. D. employees are likely to quit their jobs if treated unfairly.

B. employees' effort is related to the likelihood of success they perceive.

71) The primary drawback of on-the-job training is that: A. it is not as effective as other methods. B. it often disrupts the workplace. C. it is too time consuming. D. all of the above

B. it often disrupts the workplace.

35) The most common type of workplace misconduct cited by human resources professionals was ______: A. stealing and theft B. lying to supervisors. C. abuse of drugs or alcohol. D. conflicts of interest.

B. lying to supervisors.

27) The ability of an organization to compete with other organizations for a sufficient supply of human resources with the appropriate capabilities is: A. governed by EEO regulations. B. one measure of organizational effectiveness. C. one input to the environmental scanning process. D. governed by the ability to offer job security.

B. one measure of organizational effectiveness.

46) A group of employees formed my management to immediately resolve a major problem and develop a long-term plan for problem resolution is called a/an _______: A. self-directed team. B. task force team. C. cross-functional team. D. employee rotation unit

B. task force team.

83) If a group is highly cohesive, the individuals in the group are likely to: A. play devil's advocate with each other. B. value group norms and goals. C. exhibit dysfunctional competition with group members. D. desire a strong autocratic leadership style.

B. value group norms and goals.

10) A large auto parts supply company states that its five-year plan is to expand its distribution system through the acquisition of new stores. This statement is an example of which of the following? A. A tactical plan. B. An organizational analysis plan. C. A strategic business plan. D. A mission statement.

C. A strategic business plan.

22) Job enrichment and job enlargement are two means of enhancing jobs through job design. What is the basic difference between the two techniques? A. Enriching a job involves adding more tasks to an existing job while enlarging a job involves adding more responsibilities. B. Enlarging a job indicates an increased rate of pay will accompany the new job responsibilities. C. Enlarging a job involves adding more tasks at the same level while enriching a job involves adding more responsibilities. D. The two terms mean the same, there is no basic difference between them

C. Enlarging a job involves adding more tasks at the same level while enriching a job involves adding more responsibilities.

80) When conducting an environmental scan, supply and demand for specific skills, changes in competitors' practices and unemployment levels are all examples of which of the following influences? A. Geographic B. Governmental C. Labor market D. Union

C. Labor market

100) Under which of the following conditions would decentralization of staff functions be recommended for an organization? A. Need for contractual negotiations with external agents. B. Structure reflects function and product/service orientation. C. Need for collaboration within operating units. D. Operating units have conflicting goals and strategies.

C. Need for collaboration within operating units.

92) _____ is discretionary behavior that is not part of an employee's formal job requirement, but that promotes the effective functioning of the organization. A. Productivity B. Motivation C. Organizational citizenship D. Organizational behavior

C. Organizational citizenship

50) The peak effort in a product's life cycle occurs during which phase? A. Conception B. Selection C. Planning D. Evaluation

C. Planning

14) In which type of organizational structure are both flexibility and informal relationships most emphasized? 44 A. Functional. B. Line. C. Project. D. Line and staff

C. Project.

31) ______ focus(es) on the work environment, virtually ignoring the notion of individual needs and attitudes. A. Goal setting B. Content theories C. Reinforcement theory D. Expectancy theory

C. Reinforcement theory

81) Which of the following methods of organizational development has been criticized for the emotional stress it creates for some participants? A. Team building B. Transactional analysis C. Sensitivity training D. Survey feedback

C. Sensitivity training

47) Which of the following is an OD intervention technique? A. Systems management B. Sensitivity training C. Survey feedback D. Grid training

C. Survey feedback

36) HRM plays an important role in organizations by balancing the sometimes competing demands of: A. competitive challenges and international challenges. B. international challenges and employee concerns. C. employee concerns and HRM challenges. D. competitive challenges and employee concerns.

C. employee concerns and HRM challenges.

44) Employee involvement groups (EIs) are a means of: A. allowing the organization to monitor each employee's contribution to projects. B. allowing employees to control the flow and nature of work. C. enhancing the efficiency of the firm and maximizing employee contributions to managerial decision making. D. ensuring that work conditions meet federal regulations.

C. enhancing the efficiency of the firm and maximizing employee contributions to managerial decision making.

15) Securing information about the political, social and economic forces that affect the organization is called: A. forecasting. B. human resource analysis. C. environmental scanning. D. accountability

C. environmental scanning.

23) Major changes in supporting cultures in mature organizations should occur: A. regularly once every 5 years to keep pace with competitors. B. with each new yearly business cycle. C. infrequently, no more than once every 7-10 years. D. Rarely, only once or twice during the organization's life cycle in order to minimize the negative effects of change.

C. infrequently, no more than once every 7-10 years.

32) Organizational culture is a powerful variable that A. is easily manipulated B. is more important in Japan C. knits companies together D. involves sociotechnical systems primarily

C. knits companies together

60) Most organizational relationships are rooted in ________ trust. A. reward-based B. deterrence-based C. knowledge-based D. identification-based

C. knowledge-based

20) When regression analysis is used in human resource research, a potential dependent variable might be: A. biographical data. B. personal goals. C. length of employment. D. test scores

C. length of employment.

49) A direct outcome of HR planning is that: A. employee job satisfaction increases. B. absenteeism is reduced. C. managers understand the strategic orientation of HR. D. productivity increases:

C. managers understand the strategic orientation of HR.

51) When a secretary, who used to type all kinds of material, is given the job of typing for one executive only, thereby obtaining some "ownership" of the work, we have an illustration of a job-enrichment principle known as: A. combining tasks. B. vertical loading. C. natural work units. D. establishment of client relationships.

C. natural work units.

67) The best predictor of turnover in this list is: A. job satisfaction. B. job involvement. C. organizational commitment. D. cognitive dissonance.

C. organizational commitment.

6) Reengineering, TQM and continuous quality control all acknowledge, in various ways, the importance of: A. systematic investigation. B. action research. C. organizational learning. D. energy and continuity.

C. organizational learning.

66) The measure of the extent to which people in a country accept the fact that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally is called: A. institutional distribution theory. B. collectivism. C. power distance. D. quantity of life.

C. power distance.

64) An individual high in Machiavellianism is best described as: A. maintaining emotional distance, highly authoritative, believing in swift discipline. B. impulsive, emotionally involved, and having strong ethical beliefs. C. pragmatic, maintaining emotional distance, and believing ends can justify means. D. tending to make a poor manager.

C. pragmatic, maintaining emotional distance, and believing ends can justify means.

13) Greater attention is generally given and more pressure is applied for achieving goals that are: A. long range. B. subjective. C. quantified. D. General in nature.

C. quantified.

88) Quality management requires employees to _______ and become more involved in workplace decisions. A. take quality to heart B. monitor each other C. rethink what they do D. question management

C. rethink what they do

57) According to Maslow's need hierarchy, after safety needs come _______________ needs. A. esteem B. self-actualization C. social D. physiological

C. social

99) Ethical issues in HR management are important because: A. they can cost the organization money in losses. B. they have an immediate, short-term impact. C. the consequences of making decisions with ethical dimensions often are not known. D. most HR majors are philosophy majors.

C. the consequences of making decisions with ethical dimensions often are not known.

98) The purpose of a tax equalization plan is: A. to exempt expatriates from paying income taxes. B. to exempt expatriates from paying income taxes in their host country. C. to adjust an employee's base income down by the amount of estimated U.S. tax to be paid for the year. D. to provide employment opportunities for the employee's spouse overseas.

C. to adjust an employee's base income down by the amount of estimated U.S. tax to be paid for the year.

17) A safety manager who wanted to know if financial incentives would reduce accidents randomly selected two departments and offered the employees bonuses for reducing accidents. The incident rates of these two departments were compared with other departments. This study illustrates what kind of experiment? A. Case study. B. Laboratory experiment. C. Field survey. D. Field experiment.

D. Field experiment.

78) Which of the following theories of motivation posits that employee satisfaction is achieved mainly through changes in job content? A. McClelland's acquired needs theory. B. Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory. C. Vroom's expectancy needs theory. D. Herzberg's two-factor theory.

D. Herzberg's two-factor theory.

75) What is the primary benefit of appointing a chief ethics officer? A. Other managers in the organization do not have to handle ethical problems. B. It reduces the number of employee complaints and dispute resolution sessions. C. Legal counsel does not need to be consulted on ethical issues. D. It allows for consistent communication of values and standards throughout the organization.

D. It allows for consistent communication of values and standards throughout the organization.

29) Which of the following best describes a strategy which increases employee satisfaction by increasing the number of tasks that an employee performs and increasing their control over those tasks? A. Job enlargement B. Job rotation C. Horizontal integration D. Job enrichment

D. Job enrichment

34) We know that personal assumptions and beliefs have a powerful effect on behavior a boss wants to improve her understanding of why subordinates do not perform well. What should she do? A. Publicly praise those who perform well. B. Have more frequent discussion with employees about goals. C. Let subordinates have more air time at meetings to defend their decisions. D. Openly discuss contradictory expectations about work behavior with her subordinates.

D. Openly discuss contradictory expectations about work behavior with her subordinates.

55) Which of the following research design is most costly and time-consuming? A. Correlational B. Time-series C. One-shot case D. Pretest/posttest

D. Pretest/posttest

73) Which of the following best describes a company that is in the first step of implementing the balanced scorecard system? A. Data are collected and prepared. B. Action plans are developed. C. Critical success factors are identified. D. Project deliverables are confirmed.

D. Project deliverables are confirmed.

9) The notion that jobs are so structured that employees don't need to think stems from what theory of management practice? A. Total quality management. B. Human relations. C. Human resource management. D. Scientific management.

D. Scientific management.

63) The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator examines all of the following except: A. extroverted/introverted. B. sensing/intuitive. C. perceiving/judging. D. agreeableness/conscientiousness.

D. agreeableness/conscientiousness.

69) Changes in corporate strategy precede and lead to: A. changes in the environment. B. better communication. C. increased productivity. D. changes in an organization's structure.

D. changes in an organization's structure.

56) Reengineering advocates the design of the required structures and processes based on: A. team ability. B. technology in use. C. optimal use of empowerment. D. customer requirements.

D. customer requirements.

82) The most difficult problem in forecasting demand for employees is: A. forecasting internal supply. B. estimating turnover patterns. C. determining the supply of human resources. D. determining the relationship between human capital demand and the firm's output

D. determining the relationship between human capital demand and the firm's output

45) Team synergy is heightened when team members engage in behaviors such as support, active listening, consensus decision-making, and ____. A. unanimity. B. prioritizing options. C. regular meeting times. D. disagreement

D. disagreement

33) Motivation to work is the driving force around which all other aspects of _____________________ can be viewed. A. intergroup effectiveness B. team effectiveness C. organizational effectiveness D. individual effectiveness

D. individual effectiveness

40) The Delphi technique: A. attempts to decrease subjectivity of forecasts. B. is a quantitative methods. C. uses sophisticated statistical tools for forecasting. D. is a method of reducing hiring costs.

D. is a method of reducing hiring costs.

12) Most of the laws guiding human resource management are based on the: A. utilitarian approach. B. moral-rights approach. C. individualism approach. D. justice approach.

D. justice approach.

87) The determination of how tasks are to be grouped is part of which management function? A. planning B. leading C. controlling D. organizing

D. organizing

91) The primary test to determine the reasonableness of a work rule is whether or not the: A. union has requested a change in the rule or its elimination. B. rule furthers a strict disciplinary approach to managing the workforce. C. employees agree that the rule is necessary if the plant is to operate efficiently. D. rule is reasonably related to a legitimate business reason.

D. rule is reasonably related to a legitimate business reason.

43) Accountability for sexual harassment charges depends upon: A. the sex of the people involved. B. the presence or absence of sexual desire. C. the supervisor-subordinate relationship. D. the conduct at issue.

D. the conduct at issue.

94) Research supports the concept that individuals learn BEST when: A. told of the materials' importance. B. they are intimidated by the consequences of not learning. C. they are taught within a compatible training group. D. they are actively involved in the learning process

D. they are actively involved in the learning process

95) If an HR practitioner developed an economic or statistical model to identify costs and benefits associated with an HR program, this would be called a(n): A. HR audit. B. human resource accounting process. C. break-even analysis. D. utility analysis.

D. utility analysis.