Staffing Quiz #2
Deloitte consulting has initiated an onboarding program to improve the speed with which new hires can take on projects independently. If they want to avoid maturation effects as an alternative explanation for results, which design seems most effective? a. Assign some individuals to a training program, then compare the rate of taking on new projects from this group over several months to a control group that does not receive the training b. Ask employees to self-reflect on their capacity to take on new projects immediately before, and then immediately after they've received the training, when the learning is fresh in their minds c. Ask people if they would like to participate in the new training program to ensure buy-in, and then compare the number of new projects managed by these trained individuals to those who declined training at the end of the first year d. Give the training program to the new recruits who look like they're not ready to work independently, and then compare their readiness to take on new projects at the end of the year relative to other new hires e. Have managers evaluate employee readiness to take on new projects after they've been on the job for four months, then have everyone do the new training, then ask the managers to assess these same individuals in terms of readiness at the end of the year
a.
Effective feedback uses which techniques? a. Task, future, and factual focus b. Person, past, and evaluative focus c. Task, past, and factual focus d. Person, future, evaluative focus
a.
For years, there has been a debate about the most effective way to provide employees with active practice experiences. Which of the following statements best corresponds with what research has shown? a. A combination of part and whole learning is most effective b. Focusing just on part learning is most effective c. Focusing on just whole learning is most effective d. Focusing on emotional learning is most effective e. Drills and exercises tend not to work well for retention
a.
Greg has recently started feeling dissatisfied with his work. He is starting to feel like his work is boring and his supervisor is mean. According to the "turnover train" map, which should happen next? a. Greg will likely have thoughts of leaving. b. Greg will likely begin to compare his job to alternatives. c. Greg will likely quit his job immediately. d. Greg will likely ask a friend to join the organization so he has someone to talk to. e. Greg will get hypnotized so he believes he loves his job.
a.
I need to teach a group of new hires how to access the online employee benefits open enrollment program for my organization. It's a very simple to use system, and the principles are the same for everyone. Which of the following seems like a good strategy for getting the basic information out? a. Provide clear standards for assessing understanding the material based on pre-set correct (or incorrect) answers b. Have employees break into small groups to discuss how they feel about the benefits programs c. Consider processes for learning over time, so employees can reflect on their experiences and share them with the group d. Give broad, general principles for learning goals, and minimize specific advice on how to improve e. These all seem like pretty good ways to teach set skills
a.
I'm working for a rural hospital that has had a recent spate of medication inventory shortages. Regulators are concerned that there may be some theft of prescription medications going on. The head physicians got together and came up with a plan for strictly maintaining inventory levels, and I need all employees to understand this very specific set of new policies exactly, with everyone adhering to the same standards. Which method of learning delivery would you recommend? a. A presentation-based method, like a written policy statement that will be delivered to everyone b. A discussion-based method, like a question-and-answer session c. A hands-on method, like having employees teach one another how the system works d. A feedback-based method, like coaching e. A discordian-based method, like dialectic antithesis
a.
I've decided to teach people about a topic by providing them with lots of time for discussion and a process for learning with collaborative feedback over time, and then collecting a wide variety of measures of learning performance to reflect the complexity of the skills involved. It sounds like a good match to teaching... a. Open learning b. Closed learning c. Hierarchical learning d. Discursive learning e. This doesn't sound like a good approach for much of anything
a.
If I want to enhance how persuasive my sales employees are with customers, what sort of developmental need am I likely trying to fill? a. Interpersonal b. Attitudinal c. More than one of the above d. Technical e. Legal
a.
If I want to ensure transfer of training for a cashier, the most effective tool I could have at my disposal is... a. the front counter of a store with a working cash register, and some people acting as patrons to practice with b. a video showing an effective cashier conducting a sale c. a short booklet that the cashier can have at hand to remind himself how to do the process effectively d. a practice cash register in the break room that will help the trainee familiarize herself with the layout of the device e. any of these methods is likely to be equally effective
a.
If I want to make sure that my employees have the best retention of a developmental feedback process with a peer mentor, and I have about 8 hours per person to allocate to the process, which approach is likely to be most effective? a. Eight separate one hour sessions, about a week apart for each b. One really intense eight hour feedback day c. Either the separate session or the intense session is likely to be equally effective d. This question is based on a false premise--research clearly shows that peer mentoring is never effective e. A large class session in which a lecture is delivered related to performance concepts
a.
If I want to teach someone how to perform a complex interpersonal task like selling to a reluctant customer, which scenario would be the most effective? a. A combination of various scenarios is likely to be most effective b. A stress-simulating maximal difficulty scenario, in which the potential customer offer multiple reasons not to buy based on his own online research, and takes a very long time to change his mind c. An average difficulty scenario, in which the potential customer is initially skeptical, but can be persuaded with some evidence d. A confidence building low difficulty scenario, in which the customer quickly changes her mind with minimal effort e. A "mixed message" scenario in which a customer seems very resistant at first, but then abruptly decides to make the purchase
a.
If service employees at a restaurant spend time practicing taking orders from diners, over and over again, and focus on that activity exclusively rather than completing an entire dinner service, what type of practice are they engaged in? a. Part learning b. Whole learning c. Sensory integration d. Cognitive elaboration e. Achievement production
a.
Learning is enhanced when the following four conditions are present. a. Clear objectives, meaningful context, active practice, and frequent feedback b. Direct evidence, supportive climates, abstract goals, loose coupling c. Clear objectives, meaningful context, recitation, and rote memorization d. Abstract principles, active obedience, sharp pointy sticks, fresh fruit
a.
Nina is a great employee and has been with the organization for almost 20 years. Although she works hard and is well-liked, she has very high salary and performs a lot of tasks that can be automated or outsourced to another company at a much lower cost. She is planning to retire next month. Instead of replacing Nina, the company is likely to eliminate her position to take advantage of what type of benefit related to turnover? a. Labor cost savings b. Displacement benefits c. Replacement benefits d. Separation benefits e. An increased sense of morale among staff.
a.
One of your colleagues is so excited to show you that his new "benefits awareness" training campaign has been a huge success, because the proportion of employees enrolled in a new benefits program nearly doubled in the two weeks since the program was offered. What inference can he make based on the fact that rates of benefits program sign-ups increased from before to after the training? a. He can only infer that a change occurred from time one (pre-training) to time two (post-training), but cannot say why the change occurred b. He can infer that the program definitely had an effect, but he should be careful about saying how big the effect is, because it might have been the training plus some other factors c. He cannot infer anything at all, because he failed to assess how employees felt about the benefits program training while it was going on d. He can say for certain that his training program did work, but he can't say how long the effects will last e. He can infer that a change did occur because of the effects of the training program, but nothing more
a.
Research suggests that _______________ is the best way to acquire new skills. a. a combination of whole and part learning b. focusing on learning whole material c. focusing on practicing small elements d. osmosis
a.
Sarah has started thinking about leaving the organization. She just finished a big project and thinks now is a good time to move on to another challenge. What is likely to be the next step Sarah takes, according to the "turnover train" map? a. She'll start to think about the possibility of leaving. b. She'll immediately quit her job. c. She'll become dissatisfied with her work. d. She'll try to convince herself that she's happy in her job. e. She'll try to get a colleague to leave so she can take their job.
a.
Stella, the top stylist at the CLIP IT salon, recently left the company for a higher-paying position at SHORT CUTZ, a competing salon across the street. After Stella left, virtually all of her clients transferred their appointments to SHORT CUTZ and never returned to CLIP IT. CLIP IT has experienced which type of cost because of Stella leaving? a. Separation cost b. Replacement cost c. Training cost d. Labor cost e. Retention cost
a.
This design can only detect whether a change has occurred following a developmental intervention, but cannot say whether the intervention was the reason for the change, and cannot evaluate the duration of the change. a. Pre-post design b. Experimental design c. Pre-post experimental design d. Longitudinal design e. None of these is the right design description
a.
This design is useful if one group of people is non-randomly assigned to a training or development program compared to another group of people. For example, you might use this design to see if a leadership development program was associated with a change in communication behavior, even if the group of people who are assigned to the development program were especially poor at communication to start with. a. Pre-post experimental design b. None of these is the right design description c. Pre-post design d. Experimental design e. Longitudinal design
a.
This method of active practice involves breaking a learning topic into small parts, and repeating each of these parts over and over again to develop a very specific skill. a. Part learning b. Whole learning c. Sensory integration d. Cognitive elaboration e. Achievement production
a.
Which of the following forms of performance feedback is likely to be most effective for coaching a manager who is worried about how to counsel a problem employee, especially after a few previous negative performance reviews with other employees led to conflicts? a. I've written down some principles for delivering negative news based on best practices, so let's forget about the past, and just focus on learning how to deliver the message in a way that will minimize conflict and maximize future performance. b. In the past you've done a poor job of with performance reviews. It would be more effective if you go through these principles I've written down for delivering negative news based on best practices. c. You're really good at managing overall, you just need to have the confidence to let people know directly what the problem is. d. Let's work together to identify the things you did wrong last time you had to deliver a negative performance review, so we can pinpoint areas that aren't working for you. e. You are so compassionate, I'm sure that you can achieve success in delivering this message. Let's think of all the things you do well, and build on those amazing strengths you have!
a.
Which of the following forms of performance feedback is likely to be most effective for teaching a manager who has had problems recruiting entry level employees in the past? a. Let's forget about the past, and just focus on learning how to craft and distribute a message in a way that will attract people to the organization. b. In the past you've done a poor job of recruiting, so you should realize this is a serious problem. You need to focus on learning how to craft and distribute a message in a way that will attract people to the organization. c. You're really good at managing people when then get here, so let's use your natural ability to craft and distribute an effective message. d. If we could come up with a list of all the things you did wrong last time, that will be a great starting point for making things work better next time you need to recruit. e. I think you did pretty well last time, so don't get too down on yourself. Just pick yourself up and do better next time.
a.
You are adopting a new training program to help employees improve customer service skills and would like to run an experiment to see how effective the program is. You plan to select a group of low-performing employees to participate in the study. You will assess their baseline customer service ratings, expose them to the training, then assess their post-training service ratings. Which of the following would improve your design? a. All of these would improve your design. b. Randomly assigning employees to participate, instead of including only low performers. c. Nothing. This is as good of a design as one can get in this situation. d. Using a longitudinal design so that you can see how long the effects of the training remain. e. Including a control group so you can compare the selected employee's training against employees who did not experience the training.
a.
You've been asked to design a learning program for recently hired MBAs, moving into their first leadership roles. The primary topic is learning how to deliver an effective performance assessment and quarterly performance enhancement interview with employees. Which of the following is an example of the content component of a learning objective for this group? a. To develop your knowledge, you will learn about accurate measurement of performance, effective communication of performance levels, and delivering inspirational developmental feedback. b. To develop your skills, we will give you opportunities to plan the location and setting for giving a supporting performance review meeting. c. This session is important, because our company has found that new managers often falter in giving effective performance feedback, and a lack of effective feedback can lead to employee resentment and turnover. d. This training program will be offered in various ways, so you can pick one that fits your unique learning style. e. Any of these could be an equally good example of a learning content objective.
a.
Your boss has recently received multiple reports from employees about unethical behaviors they have witnessed from their coworkers. He is concerned about the potential implications of these behaviors for the business and would like you to conduct an ethics training session with the staff to see if it will help the problem. After the training, the number of reports of unethical behavior skyrocket. Your boss tells you that your training was completely ineffective. Is he right? a. He's not necessarily right. It is very likely that employees simply are now more aware of their coworkers' unethical behavior, resulting in higher reporting rates. b. It's impossible to know if he's right or wrong. It's hard to know if the employees' reports are accurate and if the unethical behaviors are actually occurring. c. He is right. An effective ethics training program should reveal immediate changes in employee behavior. d. We don't really know if he is right. We didn't get a baseline measure beforehand. e. Yes, he is right. We have a clear pre-test/post-test design that shows the number of complaints increased.
a.
As the VP of Human Resources for Woodle, a multi-million dollar tech company, you have been tasked with heading the search for a new CFO after the previous one resigned suddenly. You and your team have spent countless hours and financial resources on searching for candidates, screening resumes, flying out candidates for interviews, and other related activities. These expenses can be classified as which category of turnover cost? a. Separation costs b. Replacement costs c. Training costs d. Clustering costs e. Labor costs
b.
Devonshire Food Distribution has a leadership development program that is well regarded in the field because most people who go through the program see substantial improvements in their revenues soon after program completion. Which of the following is a potential concern about whether the program content is really producing this change? a. There might be a maturation effect, in that those who are put into the program are already on a positive trajectory in performance, and they would have continue to improve anyway b. All of these are potential concerns c. There might be a self-fulfilling prophecy involved, because those who go through training expect to improve, so they work harder d. There might be an alternative explanation, such as people going through the program are also given additional resources by managers eager to show that the program is working
b.
I'm the president of a large multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. We're going through a major cultural shift, and I want to get more employee input into how to achieve these changes. I know there are some broad principles I'd like them to adopt, but I think we should all work together to figure out how to implement them in each division. Which method of learning delivery would you recommend? a. A presentation-based method, like a panel presentation with leaders from each division b. A discussion-based method, like small group discussions c. A hands-on method, like shadowing d. A feedback-based method, like coaching e. A thematic method, like Schenkerian Analysis
b.
I've decided to teach people about a topic by providing them with a very clear agenda for learning, well-defined standards for performance, and feedback that focuses on getting right answers and avoiding wrong answers. This sounds like a good method for... a. Open learning b. Closed learning c. Hierarchical learning d. Discursive learning e. This doesn't sound like a good approach for much of anything
b.
If police officers train on the entire process of an arrest, starting with warning a suspect that they are under arrest, subduing the suspect, reading the suspect his or her rights, bringing the suspect into the police station, and processing this suspect's paperwork, what type of practice are they engaged in? a. Part learning b. Whole learning c. Sensory integration d. Cognitive elaboration e. Achievement production
b.
If sales employees at a car dealership spend time learning the entire process of selling a car, starting with how to greet customers, demonstrate the features of various vehicles, inquire about purchasing plans, and handing off the transaction to the finance department to complete a sale, what type of active practice are they engaged in? a. Part learning b. Whole learning c. Sensory integration d. Cognitive elaboration e. Achievement production
b.
My team is in trouble, because there's a lot of interpersonal tension. I'd like to encourage everyone to focus more on the tasks at hand rather than personality conflict and vested interests, so I need some group development and trust work. Which method of learning delivery would you recommend? a. A presentation-based method that describes how to be a more effective team member b. A discussion-based method that has members of the team develop potential solutions for improving interpersonal relationships c. A hands-on method in which group members study cases of other groups that have solved problems d. A feedback-based method for each person with coaching e. A structural simplification method, like principal components analysis
b.
Research and development employees at Apple need to be familiar with the unique properties of the operating system, as well as a knowledge of the history of product roll outs and customer feedback over time. In this case, what is a likely best course of action for ensuring the workforce can meet these needs? a. The organization should "buy" the necessary knowledge from competitors b. The organization should "make" the necessary knowledge and skills through internal training and development c. The organization should outsource research and development to protect the strategic core d. The organization can freely collaborate with competitors, since knowledge is unlikely to transfer e. The best course of action isn't listed here
b.
This form of practice involves doing all the components of a complex task from beginning to end, with the goal of helping the learner integrate all the elements into a final performance that resembles what will happen on the job. a. Part learning b. Whole learning c. Sensory integration d. Cognitive elaboration e. Achievement production
b.
Whataburger is a fast-food restaurant with hundreds of locations across the United States. They have had problems with waste in the food preparation process, so they decided to put some locations through a learning program focused on increasing efficiency and reducing errors. If their training group wants to see if this learning program is working, which of the following seems like the best approach? a. Evaluate waste levels in stores immediately after the training program is complete b. Randomly assign some locations to receive the training, and then compare their waste rates to a control group c. Have learners describe what they learned from the program when it ends d. All of these approaches seem equally good e. Have a specially selected group of high-performing stores receive training, and then compare their waste levels after the training is complete to other locations across the chain
b.
Which of the following could lead directly to an employee comparing their job to alternative jobs? a. An employee just found out she will be having a baby. b. An employee's favorite co-worker just left to join a new organization. c. An employee just finished a major project. d. An employee has always planned to quit once he reaches his third anniversary with the company. e. An employee just turned 65 and is planning to retire.
b.
Which of the following procedures helps to leverage current culture to improve learning of new material and use of this new material back on the job? a. Ensuring training is delivered at points of maximum pressure and stress to ensure retention b. Tying training and development activities to deeply held employee values c. Limiting space for potentially confusing discussions and focusing attention on homogeneity d. Using copious amounts of PowerPoint when feasible e. Hiring external trainers, who will be seen as more authoritative than insiders
b.
In which of the following situations would an organization be better off buying (i.e. selecting) versus making (i.e. development) employee competencies? a. When economies of scale are possible b. When knowledge is needed c. When abilities are needed d. When skills are needed
c.
The Crab Bucket is a large seafood restaurant located downtown. Like many of its competitors, the restaurant experiences consistently high levels of turnover among its waitstaff, cooks, and bartenders. All new staff must complete a long, costly classroom and shadowing program to learn the Crab Bucket culture, service steps, and menu. As a result, employee turnover creates large ____________ that impacts the company's bottom line. a. Separation costs b. Replacement costs c. Training costs d. Clustering costs e. Interpersonal costs
c.
The high-end restaurant chain you manage has high standards for food plating. That is, each meal should be arranged in a very precise way on the plate so that it has a consistent and appealing look to your customers. In one of the restaurants, you noticed that each cook seems to plate the food differently--yet, no one does it perfectly. Which method would likely be the most effective in helping the cooks master the skill of food plating? a. A feedback method, such as peer mentoring, in which each cook is paired with a co-worker to provide feedback. b. A presentation method, such as online training, in which each cook watches a demonstration of proper food plating on the computer. c. A hands-on method, like having each cook practice plating the food properly with a trainer. d. A discussion method, like having all of the cooks gather for a meeting to discuss the proper way to plate food. e. An open method, like focusing on teamwork skills that would help the cooks work better together, thus, improving their plating skills.
c.
This design doesn't account for baseline effects, because participants are only measured after training. Unfortunately, this is also a very common design for evaluating training in many organizations. a. Pre-post experimental design b. Pre-post design c. None of these is the right design description d. Longitudinal design e. Experimental design
c.
This design is useful if one group of people is non-randomly assigned to a training or development program compared to another group of people. For example, you might use this design to see if a leadership development program was associated with a change in communication behavior, even if the group of people who are assigned to the development program were especially poor at communication to start with. a. None of these is the right design description b. Pre-post design c. Pre-post experimental design d. Longitudinal design e. Experimental design
c.
This design requires random assignment into a treatment or a control group. If the groups are different to begin with, then this method can give very misleading conclusions about whether an intervention produced a change or not. a. None of these is the right design description b. Pre-post experimental design c. Experimental design d. Longitudinal design e. Pre-post design
c.
This design requires random assignment into a treatment or a control group. If the groups are different to begin with, then this method can give very misleading conclusions about whether an intervention produced a change or not. a. None of these is the right design description b. Pre-post experimental design c. Experimental design d. Pre-post design e. Longitudinal design
c.
Whataburger is a fast-food restaurant with hundreds of locations across the United States. They have had problems with waste in the food preparation process, so they decided to put some locations through a learning program focused on increasing efficiency and reducing errors. If their training group wants to see if this learning program is working, which of the following seems like the best approach? a. Have learners describe what they learned from the program when it ends b. Have a specially selected group of high-performing stores receive training, and then compare their waste levels after the training is complete to other locations across the chain c. Randomly assign some locations to receive the training, and then compare their waste rates to a control group d. Evaluate waste levels in stores immediately after the training program is complete e. All of these approaches seem equally good
c.
You are consulting with a company that would like some help with improving employee performance. Particularly, they'd like to increase the percentage of sales achieved by their salespeople. They want your opinion on a new training system they are considering. They want to test the program by requiring all salespeople achieving less than a 10% success rate in cold calling to attend a training on how to improve their sales techniques. Which would be the most appropriate response from you? a. It's really a great idea. The low performers probably have low self-esteem and the training will make them feel better about themselves. You'll know if the training program is worth the investment if their ratings of self-esteem improve after the training. b. It is a waste of time and resources. The low performers should just be fired. c. It's a bad idea to test a training program on a particular segment of the employee population. You are likely to experience selection effects and it will be hard to tell if any changes occurred because of the training or simply because of the characteristics of the chosen group. Therefore, the training may not work for everyone. d. It's probably not a very good idea. Research has shown that low performers rarely, if ever, benefit from training programs. Instead, they should test the training on the high performers. e. The training may be harmful because it could lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. The low performers may strongly believe that the training will help them, which will make them over-confident and more likely to do poorly in the long run.
c.
You work for a child development center and your HR Assistant has approached you with an idea for a new training program that she believes will help your instructors improve their effectiveness in teaching. Although the program is costly, she says she is 100% sure there will be positive changes in performance. She observes each instructor prior to training to establish a baseline. She then enacts the training and follows up by observing the instructors again to examine how their performance has changed. She excitedly tells you that everyone has greatly improved and the training was a huge success. Do you believe her? a. Probably not. There is likely some sort of selection effect taking place since all teachers were included in the training. b. Probably not. The pre- and post-training assessments were made about a week apart. It is most likely that the findings were influenced by maturation effects, where the teachers just naturally became better over time. c. Not necessarily. Her findings may be the result of self-fulfilling prophecy and influenced by her strong belief that the training would work. d. Yes. She did the experiment appropriately by establishing a baseline and then assessing post-training performance. She proved the training worked. e. No. Everyone knows HR assistants can't be trusted. She probably made it up.
c.
I've found that there are a lot of cases in which my less experienced colleagues are finding the sheer complexity of implementing their project management tasks, because each project is different and what they knew from the last project may not apply to the new project. I need to find a way to help them learn that will take ongoing changes in their needs into account. Which method of learning would you recommend? a. A presentation-based method, like a video demonstration b. A discussion-based method, like using social media c. A hands-on method, like a task management simulation d. A feedback-based method, like peer mentoring e. A nurturing growth method, like hydroponics
d.
Kelsey is becoming dissatisfied with her work and recently has had thoughts of leaving the organization. Which of the following is not a characteristic of Kelsey that could eliminate the effects of her thoughts of leaving? a. She is very committed to the organization. b. She is very embedded in both the workplace and her community. c. She has a very strong fear of change. d. She has a lot of general skills that are very relevant to her occupation. e. All of these could help get Kelsey "off the turnover train."
d.
Once an employee has started to compare alternative employment options, which of the following is NOT a factor likely to deter them from leaving? a. The employee's skill set is very firm-specific and not relevant to other organizations. b. The company offers a pay raise to the employee. c. The employee's work friends are very committed to the organization and love their jobs. d. There is a very strong labor market right now and unemployment rates are very low. e. All of these are factors that would deter the employee from turning over.
d.
This design has the unique characteristic of being able to establish a strong conclusion of cause and effect, even without random assignment into treatment and control groups. Moreover, it is inexpensive to implement and is well-received by organizational leaders. a. Pre-post experimental design b. Pre-post design c. Experimental design d. None of these is the right design description e. Longitudinal design
d.
Which of the following statements regarding needs assessment is true? a. Effective needs assessment must focus on the task as it is currently done b. Needs assessment should avoid psychosocial issues, as they are too difficult to manage c. Contemporary organizations see little use for needs assessment d. Learner capacity and motivation to learn are both predictors of success in learning activities e. Most research shows motivation is more important than ability in predicting learning
d.
You are adopting a new training program to help employees improve customer service skills and would like to run an experiment to see how effective the program is. You plan to select a group of low-performing employees to participate in the study. You will assess their baseline customer service ratings, expose them to the training, then assess their post-training service ratings. Which of the following would improve your design? a. Including a control group so you can compare the selected employee's training against employees who did not experience the training. b. Randomly assigning employees to participate, instead of including only low performers. c. Using a longitudinal design so that you can see how long the effects of the training remain. d. All of these would improve your design.
d.
You have just run an excellent adventure learning course at Yosemite National Park, including white water rafting, camping, and trust falls. Everyone had a great time, and you'd like to show your manager how much team spirit was raised, so you have everyone fill out a "team spirit" survey afterward and scores were very high. Your boss is not impressed. Even though you feel sad, can you still admit why might she be right to be skeptical of what you've presented? a. Evidence has clearly shown that the phrase "team spirit" sounds like a song written by Kurt Cobain, and you know what happened to him... b. Actually, she's wrong, this is a perfectly good design, and her resistance to evidence shows how defensive she is c. There is no way to measure subjective psychological states through questionnaires d. Team spirit may have been just as high prior to the trip e. Even though you have shown strong evidence, you have to admit that principles of induction suggest strong conclusions of causality are unwarranted in science
d.
If I want to encourage my employees to value diversity in the workplace, what sort of developmental need am I likely trying to fill? a. Technical b. More than one of the above c. Legal d. Interpersonal e. Attitudinal
e.
Learning to play an instrument is obviously a skill a person can learn, but very few professional musical ensembles provide training for their members. Instead, they "buy" talent. Why does that make sense? a. Because requirements for different pieces change frequently, ability to learn is extremely important and cannot be taught b. Skills can be unique to one or two members of each ensemble, so group training is unlikely to be effective c. Some musical skills require natural abilities not present in most people, so training may not be able to meet the demands d. It takes thousands of hours of practice, which is too expensive for the organization to fund e. These are all correct
e.
Many organizations are concerned that paying for their employees to get an MBA is a surefire way to get people to quit for a better job somewhere else. In fact, your own organization now has data showing that people who get an MBA are more likely to quit. Does this prove that providing MBAs is causing turnover? a. Yes, because of regression to the mean between MBA students and their non-MBA holding comparison group b. Yes, because there is a clear contrast between participants and non-participants who are acting as a control group--this is a true experiment c. No, because maturation effects likely lead to differences between MBA students, who are usually more mature, and non-MBA students, who are less mature d. Probably, although an exit interview asking people if they quit the job because of their new educational credentials would help to make sure e. No, because it's possible that people who choose to get MBAs are more likely to quit anyway--this is a selection effect
e.
The Marriott Hotels are hoping to make their managers behave less like administrators and more like leaders. What questions should they ask about their managers before designing the training program? a. What background knowledge of leadership principles do managers have? b. What level of cognitive ability do managers have? c. What long-term goals do managers have? d. What level of motivation to learn new techniques do managers have? e. These are all important questions to ask
e.
The clothing factory for which you are consulting is experiencing quality issues with their products. It seems that a majority of the sewers are having a hard time with a specific stitch on a new style of jeans. The managers recognize a need to implement some sort of training for their 200 sewers in multiple factories to master this stitch. They are debating between a hands-on method of training, in which a trainer works with individual sewers to help them master the skill, and a presentation method, in which each sewer watches an online demonstration of the new stitch. Which of the following would be an incorrect explanation to give to the managers? a. A challenge of using the hands-on method would be the cumbersome time and monetary expense associated with hiring so many trainers to work with 200 sewers. b. The hands-on method would be challenging in this case because you would have to be sure that each trainer in each factory performs the stitch in the same manner. c. A challenge in using a presentation method is that there is a high risk that the employees will not retain or apply the information learned. d. A challenge in using a presentation method here is that the sewers may not find the training engaging, and therefore, may not learn much from watching it. e. A challenge in using a hands-on method is that fidelity is very low, which hinders transfer.
e.
This design used with just one group of people is particularly good at evaluating whether a change is due to simple maturation, as opposed to being the result of an intervention. In other words, this is the design you might use to assess whether a training program actually improved new hire performance over time, as opposed to the possibility that the employees would be on an upward learning trajectory without any training program. a. Experimental design b. Pre-post design c. Pre-post experimental design d. None of these is the right design description e. Longitudinal design
e.
You are working as a consultant with a large manufacturing organization. Among other issues, you have noticed a relatively high turnover rate of entry-level assembly line employees. When you brought this up with management, they seemed very unconcerned about reducing the turnover. They argue that the assembly line is a boring job and it is hard to keep people interested in the work. The company has automated selection systems that drastically cut costs on hiring new people. Additionally, a newly adopted online training system has greatly reduced the time and expenses related to developing new workers so that they can perform their job successfully. What do the managers seem to be overlooking? a. Organizations have a legal and ethical responsibility to make sure all employees have satisfying work. b. A good management team realizes that the loss of a single employee always bad for the company. c. The managers are not accounting for any replacement costs associated with turnover. d. The managers have overlooked any training costs associated with turnover. e. The managers have failed to consider any separation costs associated with turnover.
e.
If research and development employees spend time practicing a laboratory documentation protocol, over and over again, and focus on that activity exclusively rather than working on designing and conducting an entire experimental trial, what type of practice are they engaged in? a. Part learning b. Whole learning c. Sensory integration d. Cognitive elaboration e. Achievement production
a.
If I want employees to learn about how to use a new financial reporting system, what sort of developmental need am I likely trying to fill? a. Attitudinal b. Interpersonal c. Technical d. More than one of the above e. Legal
c.
If I'm trying to encourage my employees to change their view of the workplace in a broad, comprehensive way, and adapt themselves to a variety of situations in an open manner, which of the following principles for designing a training program seems most appropriate? a. Providing time for discussion b. Setting up a clear, specific agenda for what they will learn c. Telling learners exact standards for performance in advance d. Giving frequent evaluation of performance relative to a standard e. None of these is an appropriate strategy
a.
___________ practice is necessary for helping to develop specific skills to a high degree, identifying problem areas, and mastering difficult components of performance. a. Part b. Whole c. Spaced d. Intervallic
a.
What are the three levels at which needs assessments are typically conducted? a. Group, department, division b. Organization, task, and learner c. Performance, technological, social d. Nation, region, city
b.
You've been asked to design a learning program for recently hired MBAs, moving into their first leadership roles. The primary topic is learning how to deliver an effective performance assessment and quarterly performance enhancement interview with employees. Which of the following is an example of the outcome component of a learning objective for this group? a. To develop your knowledge, you will learn about accurate measurement of performance, effective communication of performance levels, and delivering inspirational developmental feedback. b. To develop your skills, we will give you opportunities to plan the location and setting for giving a supporting performance review meeting. c. This session is important, because our company has found that new managers often falter in giving effective performance feedback, and a lack of effective feedback can lead to employee resentment and turnover. d. This training program will be offered in various ways, so you can pick one that fits your unique learning style. e. Any of these could be an equally good example of a learning conditions objective.
c.
