Certification Study

Which initiative would be pursued by an HR leader in an organization with a strategy to be an employer of choice?

Implementing stay interviews to better understand employees' perspectives and values. Stay interviews provide perspective on what current employees value about the organization and the work they do and why they remain with the organization. This data would best support a strategy to be an employer of choice.

According to Bob Kelleher, effective management of employee survey projects includes establishing a cross-sectional committee to review overall company results and to make recommendations to management. Which is the best approach for an HR director to select for managing an employee survey project?

Cross-sectional committee

Which action violates the International Labour Organization standards?

Men receive higher wages than women for the same work. The ILO standards prohibit unequal pay and opportunities for men and women. Management may not prohibit employees' from associating and organizing, but it is allowed to state its reasons for not wanting a unionized workplace. Prisoners are exceptions to the ILO ban on forced labor. Children under 18 may be employed as long as they have completed schooling required in their communities and the work is not hazardous.

The newly appointed CEO directs all functional leaders to submit plans to reduce costs by 10% while increasing revenue by 10%. Operations requests HR to assist in identifying positions to eliminate. What should HR recommend operations review first?

Strategic plan An organization's strategic plan should generate a list of the workforce capabilities needed to execute the business strategy as well as a monetary value for each capability based on how critical it is to generating new revenues or reducing costs. Afterward, if staff terminations are needed to support cost reduction, the termination policy, performance evaluations, and a seniority list can be considered.

Which leader demonstrates the path-goal approach to leadership?

A team leader posts progress toward milestones in the project room and engages the whole team in problem solving. The path-goal leadership theory emphasizes the leader's role in coaching and developing the team. The leader does this by focusing the team on achievable but challenging goals, providing the support and direction each member needs to achieve those goals, and allowing the group to participate in decision making. The team leader who keep project goals in front of the team and encourages group problem solving is a "path-goal" leader.

Which identifies a key feature of arbitration?

Both sides agree to accept the decision of the arbitrator. Both parties willingly submit to arbitration and agree to accept the decision of the arbitrator as final. They must accept, not just consider, the arbitrator's decision.

What should be the focus of HR in an organization pursuing a global integration strategy?

Building a common organizational culture In a global integration strategy, building a common organizational culture is an important step for standardizing people, processes, and performance.

A mature organization is pursuing a new customer market. How can HR offer value to sales and operations?

By reviewing the skills inventory. HR can compare the competencies the organization needs with the skills inventory of current employees.

In an attempt to turn around a floundering organization, a new CEO has recently tightened the organization's focus on core products to cut spending, boost revenue, and reduce task redundancy. Since all jobs must be interrelated to accomplish the organization's updated mission, vision, and goals, which action should HR recommend the organization take first?

Completing a job analysis to understand the job requirements and interconnections with other jobs To focus on core products, the organization should begin with job analysis. This systematic study of all jobs, including tasks, qualifications, education, experience, and training, will help identify the best options for supporting the new approach.

What valuable guidance in the area of diversity and inclusions can HR provide?

Considering both visible and invisible diversity traits will create the most benefits. Organizations receive the greatest benefits from diversity and inclusion initiatives when those efforts consider multiple dimensions of diversity, including both visible and invisible traits.

Human resource professionals can use a variety of metrics to demonstrate contributions to the organization. Which metric best reflects recruiting costs?

Cost of hire Cost of hire is calculated by dividing the total recruiting costs by the number of new employees. It is used to provide recruiting cost projections for budget planning.

Which steps can HR use to develop managers to effectively work in a diverse organization?

Create opportunities for managers to travel and to work on teams. HR can effectively develop the ability of managers to work in a diverse and inclusive environment by creating opportunities for travel, teamwork, training, and transfers. Although learning a foreign language may increase cultural sensitivity, it may be too time-consuming and expensive to justify, except for international assignees. Off-site training may help develop managers in diversity and inclusion, but it is not as effective as other means.

A manufacturer's new strategy is focusing on increasing customer satisfaction by avoiding shipping delays. The vice president of HR has been charged with making sure that operations has access to the labor it needs to meet scheduled orders. This sometimes requires hiring temporary workers. HR has outsourced its hiring to a trusted vendor. How could technology most effectively support the vice president of HR in achieving this goal?

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) access could be extended to the vendor, eliminating communication delays. The most effective use of technology in this case is to include the vendor in the ERP. This would allow the vendor to see operations' work flow and worker requirements and to act independently to secure the necessary resources. Staffing metrics have probably been defined in order to estimate resource requirements. Simulations and submitting invoices directly to accounting will probably not affect efficiency in staffing.

HRIS data reveals that a significant number of account relationship managers in customer service have identified their desire to retire in the next 18 to 24 months. Which solution offers the best opportunity to retain tacit knowledge that may be lost as these employees retire?

Establish softer systems including mentoring programs and alumni networks. Softer systems used for knowledge retention include meetings and other activities that take place to share knowledge and help people connect with one another. Actions such as job sharing, cross-training, mentoring, Internet messaging, and alumni networks are also examples of softer systems.

HR is usually responsible for which components of contingency plans?

Policies, contacts for evacuation and relocation, communication, training, continuity. In contingency plans, HR is usually responsible for policies, contacts for evacuation and relocation, communication, training, and continuity. Information technology is responsible for cybersecurity and other technology issues. Financial issues are generally the responsibility of the accounting or finance functions. Communications systems and related issues are generally the responsibility of the public relations or marketing group.

A company is experiencing computer system problems from Internet viruses introduced by employees opening files that are not work-related. Which action can HR take to reduce the problem?

Recommending that IT create a policy defining Internet use at work Publishing a policy that prohibits opening files that are not work-related Certainly a written policy could set limits for employees' personal use of the Internet and reduce the influx of computer viruses. Other benefits are possible, too. A policy may never eliminate employee misconduct, but it could help the employer avoid incidents that may lead to embarrassment for the company and/or potential legal problems. Further, having a formal policy in place and communicating it to employees reduces the employer's exposure to invasion-of-privacy claims.

When administering a retirement plan, how can an HR benefits manager best fulfill her fiduciary responsibility?

Act in the best interest of the employee. A fiduciary duty implies a legal obligation of the employer to act in the best interest of the employee.

To ensure that a large organization's pay structure is consistently competitive, which is the best practice an HR leader should consider?

Annually benchmark positions using a salary survey. Many organizations use a combination of surveys and benchmarking to help them remain competitive.

What type of document does HR need to create with other key leaders in the organization to help employees make correct decisions in dealing with ethical dilemmas?

Code of conduct A code of conduct helps workers determine what they should do in the case of an ethical dilemma.

What should a progressive build of an application to analyze an organization's human capital begin with?

Comprehensive employee database A build of a human capital analytics application (analytical software designed to solve people and productivity problems) should begin with a comprehensive employee database for tracking skills and performance. The other items are important, but the employee database is primary since it is the foundation from which the others are developed.

A recent employee survey identified work/life balance as a problem for an organization. Which objective should HR include in the business plan?

Conduct focus groups to identify work/life balance issues and prepare a report/recommendations by mid-year. The best objective defines a specific and reasonable action and sets a date by which the task will be accomplished. Developing and launching a program may be overly ambitious and misguided at this stage. The objective about surveys is not ambitious enough and contains no time frame. Improving employee morale is a goal, and the statement does not describe how the goal will be accomplished.

The vice president of human resources is tasked with aligning the leadership and functions of an organization that has recently acquired a supplier in a different country. Which factor will be key in completing HR's integration plan?

Designating integration leaders Throughout the merger and acquisition process, the job of HR is to maintain focus on the people dimension while it conducts HR due diligence and plans the merger and acquisition integration strategy. The HR integration plan should include designating integration leaders, securing management support and resources, developing communication plans, setting measurable objectives for the integration, and establishing a realistic timeline.

The senior executive team in a rapidly growing health-care organization has launched a new three-year expansion plan. In the past, the recruiting manager has successfully found the right talent for positions. With the expected growth over the next three years, the senior team is concerned about having an adequate candidate pool to fill new food services, maintenance, and various critical skilled nursing positions. The current labor pool is perceived as having a limited supply of qualified candidates, and the future labor supply is not expected to adequately accommodate future growth. There is a sizeable number of underutilized retirees and military veterans in the current geographic location. Some in the HR function believe that these underutilized groups have a huge potential and should be considered in the overall recruiting strategy, while others, including the HR manager, do not support this notion. In a recent team meeting, the recruiting manager and the HR manager became involved in a heated discussion regarding their differing perspectives. Which strategy should the recruiting manager use to generate employment interest in the underutilized talent pool?

Focus on the preferred employer brand, since attracting employment interest in this group will require a broad perspective.

An HR manager has identified the probability of occurrence of a particular risk event and the outcomes if the event should occur. Which other factor should the manager consider?

How much warning the organization would have if the event occurred Effectiveness of possible management strategies. The amount of warning or the speed of onset can help those working on risk management strategies to prepare adequate responses. Cost and effectiveness of responses can be studied after risks are thoroughly analyzed. Industry-specific risks should already have been identified.

During a review of the organization's pay competitiveness, which is the best factor a compensation director should consider before using an external pay survey?

How relevant the surveyed jobs are to the organization's jobs When using an external survey, it is important to consider the relevance/match of the surveyed jobs to the organization's jobs.

A vice president (VP) of HR consults with the experts who have been hired to manage the organization's labor strategy. They report that it is very likely that the organization's major union will call a strike due to lack of progress in contract negotiations and that the work interruption could be lengthy. How should the VP of HR manage this risk?

Immediately secure commitments from contractors to provide temporary workers This scenario focuses on how to manage high-priority risks that are immediate and costly in impact. These risks call for prompt action that avoids the risk or mitigates the effects of the risk. The risk here probably cannot be avoided; there may be valid business reasons that agreement cannot be reached. However, its effects can be mitigated by securing temporary replacements. Monitoring the negotiations will not prepare the organization to respond quickly when the strike is called. Training managers to substitute for workers would have been a good idea before the strike became imminent.

As technology provides HR with new strategic capabilities, which HR activities will take on greater significance?

Improving organizational effectiveness. As HR evolves to become more strategic, its focus will shift from more administrative aspects, like training, job descriptions, and compensation benchmarks, which can be managed by a dedicated vendor, to improving organizational effectiveness, which capitalizes on HR's internal expertise.

An organization would like to respond to concerns that too few minorities are applying for positions. Which step might address this?

Increased recruiting efforts at urban colleges and universities One approach to increasing the diversity of the applicant pool is to recruit from institutions that serve minorities. Urban areas have larger concentrations of minorities than do non-urban areas, and urban colleges and universities have higher percentages of minority enrollees than do other higher education institutions.

Which type of global assignment refers to an employee who is being reassigned to an international jurisdiction?

International assignee "International assignee" is a term for an employee who is reassigned to an international location. "Expatriate citizen" is an incorrect term; "expatriate" refers to anyone who is not a citizen of the country in which they reside. A home-country employee would be any employee who works for the home-country organization regardless of country. The term "foreign appointee" does not indicate reassignment to an international jurisdiction.

Which information should an HR leader review when conducting an analysis of a vacated position?

Knowledge, skills, and abilities A job analysis looks at the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for a person to have a reasonable chance of successfully performing the job.

What should leaders understand about managing change?

Managing change involves employees' cognition, emotions, and behavior. Leaders need to understand that announcements of change often trigger a variety of emotions. Moving past those emotions requires helping employees understand the reasons for change and supporting them as they implement the change. This support takes the form of ongoing communication, development of new skills and knowledge, and providing necessary tools and resources. Leaders can shorten the amount of time employees take to adjust to change through their actions. However, groups respond to change differently, and leaders must be able to identify each group's unique needs.

The senior executive team in a rapidly growing health-care organization has launched a new three-year expansion plan. In the past, the recruiting manager has successfully found the right talent for positions. With the expected growth over the next three years, the senior team is concerned about having an adequate candidate pool to fill new food services, maintenance, and various critical skilled nursing positions. The current labor pool is perceived as having a limited supply of qualified candidates, and the future labor supply is not expected to adequately accommodate future growth. There is a sizeable number of underutilized retirees and military veterans in the current geographic location. Some in the HR function believe that these underutilized groups have a huge potential and should be considered in the overall recruiting strategy, while others, including the HR manager, do not support this notion. In a recent team meeting, the recruiting manager and the HR manager became involved in a heated discussion regarding their differing perspectives. Which step is the best for the recruiting manager to take in addressing the HR manager's concerns?

Meet with the HR manager privately and share information on some qualified applicants.

Which recruiting source would be the most effective way to extend the employment brand for a global enterprise?

Online social networks and blogs Online sites can effectively expand an organization's talent database, extend the employment brand, and help in acquiring top talent.

What is the purpose of leading indicators in relation to a balanced scorecard?

Predicting future performance Leading indicators predict future performance. For example, improved customer loyalty (a customer measure) will translate into increased revenue and profits (a financial measure).

Which form of negotiation is most consistent with the leadership characteristics found to be effective in global settings?

Principled Principled negotiation aims to create win-win solutions that are based on the negotiators' needs. It avoids taking hard positions in favor of developing trust and mutual understanding. This is consistent with most global definitions of leaders as honest, interested in learning other perspectives, and committed to problem solving rather than winning.

An organization has restructured. Which tactic should HR consider first to fulfill staffing needs?

Redeployment During solution analysis, an organization decides whether to "build," "buy," or "borrow" the talent needed to attain the staffing levels and competencies required to meet the organizational goals and objectives. Redeployment is a solution to pursue to meet the organizational future needs and is a "build" approach. It would be a quick solution with a decreased learning curve compared to other options.

When measuring organizational performance, which approach should HR take to identify strategic aspects while avoiding being overwhelmed by data?

Reevaluating current measures and then determining what changes may be needed based on internal and external factors Focusing only on leading indicators of a balanced scorecard that will affect future performance Since new or evolving strategies may require new types or levels of performance, targets for measurement should be reviewed regularly and revised as needed. This is the primary purpose of adding the E (evaluated) and R (revised) components to the SMART acronym, thus making it SMARTER. Additionally, only strategically significant aspects of performance should be measured to avoid being overwhelmed with data. Measures should be mindful of both past and future performance, and data should be shared to stimulate performance improvement.

The HR director has noticed that employee demographics do not support the organization's corporate social responsibility focus. Which action may be used to help demonstrate the need for attracting diverse talent?

Social audit A social audit will allow the organization to review poilicies and procedures in terms of their social impact. It can then focus on areas that are lacking and need improvement.

A company has a high record of work-related injuries, absenteeism, and substance abuse. HR intends to address these issues by first keeping records of all reportable incidents and then encouraging employee participation in corrective action. Which next step is the most important for HR to take? Answers

Solicit support from top management While all of the options are appropriate steps to take, the most important issue is gaining top management support. HR needs management involvement to get and keep the resources necessary to implement the effort, and employees need to see that management supports the effort.

Which technology strategy enables a company to compete more effectively for talent?

Using a more sophisticated algorithm for candidate searching

Which is the best approach for gathering information about prospective candidates?

Using multiple measures to ensure reliability

Which statement explains why many diversity and inclusion efforts falter?

Absence of integration of diversity and inclusion into business culture Many diversity and inclusion efforts fail because organizations have not fully been able to integrate diversity and inclusion into their business culture. Successful diversity and inclusion efforts cannot be implemented with command-and-control mandates, such as required training, ties to performance assessments, and formal grievance procedures. Diversity and inclusion must become shared principles that shape the organization's culture and processes.

What is required to ensure that a compliance program's responses to transgressions are appropriate, consistent, impartial, and comprehensive?

Addressing unethical or harmful actions and preventing recurrences A compliance program must ensure that responses to transgressions are appropriate and consistent (as well as thoroughly grounded in full, impartial, and comprehensive investigations into wrongdoing) and that such responses protect both organizational liability and individual rights. The organization must have a system in place that both addresses unethical or harmful actions and prevents recurrences.

A large multinational corporation hosts a competitive student internship program every summer to identify future talent and recruit candidates for part-time employment during the school year. Each year five interns are selected from over 200 applicants. Interns come from diverse backgrounds, and many do not have experience in a corporate environment. An HR manager leads a team of three HR staff who are responsible for successfully implementing the internship program components, including onboarding and training in business etiquette, team building, and computer skills. Several weeks after the start of the internship, the HR manager receives an e-mail from a senior VP stating that an intern has sent an inappropriate e-mail to the entire executive team. A few days later, the intern's supervisor notifies the HR manager that the intern appears unkempt and has been wearing the same clothing for several days in a row. In addition, the supervisor states that a written complaint was submitted by a group of employees alleging that the intern uses unprofessional language in common areas of the workplace. The HR manager sends the intern an e-mail requesting a meeting. The intern's supervisor expresses concern that the intern's recent decline in professional appearance could be because of a personal issue. How should the HR manager respond to the supervisor?

Advise the supervisor to inquire of the intern if there are personal problems that HR can support. Encouraging the supervisor to hold a conversation to determine if there are reasons for the intern's personal appearance reinforces the supervisor's role of managing all aspects of the employer/employee relationship. Should the supervisor be uncomfortable with this type of conversation, the HR manager can provide coaching and/or other assistance to prepare the supervisor for the discussion.

In which of the following situations involving an employee investigation is HR demonstrating its value to the organization?

Advising the organization not to discipline an employee for refusing to work under unsafe conditions An employee cannot be forced to work under unsafe conditions.

The president of a global automotive business headquartered in the U.S. is conducting annual global all-employee meetings. The president travels with the executive staff, which includes the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief HR officer (CHRO), and the chief technology officer (CTO), to all the factories around the world to deliver key messages to the employees. The employees gather in large meeting rooms for the presentations, which focus mainly on successes from the past year and priorities for the new year, followed by a question-and-answer session. The president delivers most of the presentation, the CHRO presents on employee engagement and development initiatives, the CFO presents on the financials, and the others participate in the question-and-answer session. Within a two-week period, they travel to meetings in China, Malaysia, Ireland, and several large U.S. sites. In addition to the presentations at each site, they take facility tours and have one-on-one meetings with front-line employees of their functional organizations and with key talent while they are on site. It is a rigorous schedule, but it is very important to the president, who is committed to building a strong global team and organization. Midway through the first week of the global trip, during the all-employee meeting in Ireland, the CHRO notices that the president is using a lot of U.S. college sports analogies in the presentation. What recommendation should the CHRO immediately provide to the president regarding the use of U.S. college sports analogies?

After this presentation, provide feedback in private to increase the president's cross-cultural awareness.

A global organization headquartered in the U.S., known for its fair and equitable culture, has grown organically over time, and the configuration of the South American business has been established country by country. Each country has been viewed as a discrete business entity. A strategic decision has been made to grow the South American business through acquisition, with a goal of increasing the size of the organizational footprint across the region. To prepare for the acquisition, the organization reviews all the country-specific HR policies, practices, and programs. In the course of the review, HR identifies a significant disparity in the compensation structure for the CEO of the Brazilian business, who is the only female. The portfolio and bottom-line business responsibilities are similar country to country. The education and background of the five CEOs from the region are also very similar. There have been compensation adjustments along the way in acknowledgment of the growth of the business and to align with the markets in Brazil as well as in recognition of the female CEO's performance. However, looking across the South American countries involved, HR clearly sees a disparity. Right now this CEO is part of the team looking at possible organizations to acquire and has high visibility across the region. HR recognizes that Brazil is one of the global economic focus areas and that this CEO is perceived by the global heads of the business as not only key to the acquisition strategy but to the ongoing success of the entire business. Which is the strongest business rationale for acting to correct the pay disparities immediately?

Aligning compensation to culture Aligning compensation to the established culture of fairness and equality is the best choice.

A health-care delivery organization has experienced significant and rather sudden growth in membership over the last year. Because this fast pace of growth is forecast to continue, HR and finance complete a labor demand analysis. They determine that the organization must increase its current employee base by approximately 30% in the next two years to properly manage the growth and to handle upcoming voluntary and involuntary separations. The analysis also indicates that approximately 30% of the current employees are either eligible for retirement now or will be in the next few years. Many of those eligible for retirement have been in leadership roles for many years and are considered key employees. High-potential employees have been identified within the organization, but not all are aligned with the departments that will be impacted most by upcoming retirements. The increase in the workload, along with the challenges associated with managing the changing demographics of members, has placed a burden on employees across the organization. Morale has declined as employees are feeling more stress. The positive message of growth in the organization is being overshadowed by the discontent of overworked employees. The senior leadership team has decided to coordinate a strategy session with executives and regional leads to assess current organizational strategies and to ensure that the business is on track to manage upcoming human capital challenges. Based upon the potential human capital concerns outlined, which focus should HR leadership pursue?

Alignment of HR and organizational strategies and change management

An electronics/aerospace manufacturing organization specializing in drone development for the movie industry has been in business for 15 plus years. The company has just over 1,500 employees. It has sustained double-digit growth for the past four years and owns 80% of this specialized market. Based on this growth, employees have received on average a 6% increase, exceeding local wage increase rates. Over the past year, the employee turnover rate has increased. A majority of employees who voluntarily exited the company had received exceptional performance reviews. While there is a new competitor in the market, the competitor's starting pay rates are very similar. A recently hired HR manager reviews the exit interview data. The review identifies a perceived inequity in how disputes are resolved and the distribution of privileges, job duties, and performance rewards. Additionally, decreased attendance at company events indicates low engagement. The CEO believes strongly that good performers are leaving because competitors are "stealing" them; he does not believe that employees are leaving because of poor engagement. The CEO states that decreasing unwanted turnover is an immediate priority and directs the HR manager to increase entry salary rates to increase competiveness. In addressing the increased turnover, what is the first action the HR manager should take?

Analyze all turnover data, including turnover type, work location, employee demographics, and business unit.

An electronics/aerospace manufacturing organization specializing in drone development for the movie industry has been in business for 15 plus years. The company has just over 1,500 employees. It has sustained double-digit growth for the past four years and owns 80% of this specialized market. Based on this growth, employees have received on average a 6% increase, exceeding local wage increase rates. Over the past year, the employee turnover rate has increased. A majority of employees who voluntarily exited the company had received exceptional performance reviews. While there is a new competitor in the market, the competitor's starting pay rates are very similar. A recently hired HR manager reviews the exit interview data. The review identifies a perceived inequity in how disputes are resolved and the distribution of privileges, job duties, and performance rewards. Additionally, decreased attendance at company events indicates low engagement. The CEO believes strongly that good performers are leaving because competitors are "stealing" them; he does not believe that employees are leaving because of poor engagement. The CEO states that decreasing unwanted turnover is an immediate priority and directs the HR manager to increase entry salary rates to increase competiveness. How should the HR manager approach analyzing the internal equity concerns discovered from the exit interviews?

Analyze exit interview information and summarize it for senior management.

A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board's announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company's culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes. The CHRO researches the history of the company's performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability. After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated. Which long-term success measure should the CHRO use in reporting to the senior leadership team regarding the new performance management system?

Appropriate distribution of overall ratings connected to business success The new system has been specifically implemented to resolve the issue of high employee ratings and low company results.

A large multinational corporation hosts a competitive student internship program every summer to identify future talent and recruit candidates for part-time employment during the school year. Each year five interns are selected from over 200 applicants. Interns come from diverse backgrounds, and many do not have experience in a corporate environment. An HR manager leads a team of three HR staff who are responsible for successfully implementing the internship program components, including onboarding and training in business etiquette, team building, and computer skills. Several weeks after the start of the internship, the HR manager receives an e-mail from a senior VP stating that an intern has sent an inappropriate e-mail to the entire executive team. A few days later, the intern's supervisor notifies the HR manager that the intern appears unkempt and has been wearing the same clothing for several days in a row. In addition, the supervisor states that a written complaint was submitted by a group of employees alleging that the intern uses unprofessional language in common areas of the workplace. The HR manager sends the intern an e-mail requesting a meeting. The intern tells the HR manager that an employee is making derogatory comments to others in the office about the intern's lack of professional attire and language. What should the HR manager do?

Ask the intern to write down the comments for documentation. As a first step, documentation of a complaint is ideal, since it allows for a foundation of further action if necessary. Encouraging the complainant to document his concerns/allegations often also provides further credibility to the issue.

A large multinational corporation hosts a competitive student internship program every summer to identify future talent and recruit candidates for part-time employment during the school year. Each year five interns are selected from over 200 applicants. Interns come from diverse backgrounds, and many do not have experience in a corporate environment. An HR manager leads a team of three HR staff who are responsible for successfully implementing the internship program components, including onboarding and training in business etiquette, team building, and computer skills. Several weeks after the start of the internship, the HR manager receives an e-mail from a senior VP stating that an intern has sent an inappropriate e-mail to the entire executive team. A few days later, the intern's supervisor notifies the HR manager that the intern appears unkempt and has been wearing the same clothing for several days in a row. In addition, the supervisor states that a written complaint was submitted by a group of employees alleging that the intern uses unprofessional language in common areas of the workplace. The HR manager sends the intern an e-mail requesting a meeting. During the meeting with the intern, the HR manager learns that the intern has limited exposure to corporate settings and is having difficulty balancing work and social commitments. What should the HR manager do?

Ask the intern's supervisor to spend additional time training the intern on proper business etiquette. Involving the intern's direct manager to coach and/or mentor him is a good first step in developing the intern's behavioral skills. This not only allows the relationship between the manager and the intern to further develop; it helps the intern understand where he should be seeking direction from, both during and after the internship.

At an organization with 3,500-plus full-time employees, annual benefits enrollment is done manually on paper documents, which are reviewed, audited, and then uploaded into the HRIS benefits program. This manual process takes approximately 30 to 45 days. The HR director provides staff not trained in benefits for the data entry phase when overtime is required, resulting in a 20% to 30% data entry error rate each year, with slow response times for corrections. These manual processes are in place because the former benefits manager was uncomfortable implementing new computer programs. Since the organization has a shared database and a majority of the employees have computer access at their desks, a newly hired HR benefits manager suggests activation of an employee self-service (ESS) online enrollment process in the HRIS. The executive team approves this suggestion for full implementation within the next 14 months. The new ESS process should result in a significant reduction in errors, a faster customer service response time, and a shorter budget reconciliation period. The new benefits manager develops a plan to implement the ESS program within 12 months, but the HR director insists on implementation at the start of the next enrollment period, which is less than five months away, in spite of the manager's objections. Consequently, a larger number of benefit errors show up during the year following implementation. How can the new benefits manager determine the accuracy and quality of the benefits data that was manually uploaded into the HRIS benefits program during the former enrollment period?

Assess and determine benefits corrections and errors handled by HR.

In order to help with recruitment and retention of employees, HR has determined that it is necessary to implement a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. Leadership has already committed to the idea. What is the next step?

Assessment Assessment allows the organization to determine where it currently is at with CSR and what is lacking.

The HR staff in a large multinational organization is dispersed around the globe but managed under a single HR function. The staff has different skills, varied experience levels, and a wide range of roles depending on where they work. Many HR team members feel geographically and culturally isolated because they are stationed in remote areas where the regional culture and personnel issues are very different from those of the organization's headquarters. HR staff members must increasingly rely on people in their regional offices for support during absences, audits, and escalations, because headquarters staff does not understand the local issues. The VP of HR wants to build cohesion and a sense of camaraderie among all HR staff members but has limited budget for travel. Which method should the VP of HR use to address the feelings of isolation that result from the differences in HR team members' locations?

Assign work projects that allow team members from different locations to work together virtually. To further encourage the development of the group and to allow for trust to develop, the VP of HR is demonstrating the teams component of the 4 Ts of effective global leadership. This approach enhances the exchange of information and bonding, resulting in greater trust and communication among the group.

How should HR demonstrate its strategic value during contract negotiations?

By identifying unintended consequences of contract provisions HR can demonstrate its strategic value during contract negotiations by identifying any unintended consequences of contract provisions. For example, in a work environment with multiple unions, other unions can demand the same provisions in their contracts.

In addition to initiating a new quality management program, a company is planning to simultaneously implement a workshop to increase employee buy-in and a customer service pilot program. How can HR best support these initiatives?

By supporting employees in developing and defining team needs Organizational effectiveness and development interventions aimed at teams or units are often triggered by reports of poor performance. The causes may include high levels of unresolved conflict within the team, poor leadership, and poor communication. Teamwork produces success in quality management. This teamwork requires supervisors to create a more participative work environment. HR can provide support by empowering employees to develop and define their team decisions. The other activities are ongoing HR management processes.

The president of a global automotive business headquartered in the U.S. is conducting annual global all-employee meetings. The president travels with the executive staff, which includes the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief HR officer (CHRO), and the chief technology officer (CTO), to all the factories around the world to deliver key messages to the employees. The employees gather in large meeting rooms for the presentations, which focus mainly on successes from the past year and priorities for the new year, followed by a question-and-answer session. The president delivers most of the presentation, the CHRO presents on employee engagement and development initiatives, the CFO presents on the financials, and the others participate in the question-and-answer session. Within a two-week period, they travel to meetings in China, Malaysia, Ireland, and several large U.S. sites. In addition to the presentations at each site, they take facility tours and have one-on-one meetings with front-line employees of their functional organizations and with key talent while they are on site. It is a rigorous schedule, but it is very important to the president, who is committed to building a strong global team and organization. While on the trip, the president and the executive staff take advantage of the opportunity to do some sightseeing in China. They visit the Great Wall and the Forbidden City and go shopping for silk. The CHRO overhears the CFO telling the CTO to expense the personal purchases. Which is the best action for the CHRO to take regarding the comment she overheard?

Clarify and explore with the CFO the issues and implications of expensing any purchased personal items relative to the company's code of conduct.

A manager notices that two employees are having a debate regarding a project's management. Although they both agree that the current way the project is being managed is incorrect, they have two completely different views as to what the solution is, and both are determined to implement their own solution. The manager recognizes that there could be value in both of the proposed solutions and suggests that a hybrid of the two could be used. What mode of conflict resolution is being used?

Collaborate. A collaborative approach to conflict resolution tries to find a "third way" that meets the needs of both sides. It is referred to as a win-win solution.

The president of a global automotive business headquartered in the U.S. is conducting annual global all-employee meetings. The president travels with the executive staff, which includes the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief HR officer (CHRO), and the chief technology officer (CTO), to all the factories around the world to deliver key messages to the employees. The employees gather in large meeting rooms for the presentations, which focus mainly on successes from the past year and priorities for the new year, followed by a question-and-answer session. The president delivers most of the presentation, the CHRO presents on employee engagement and development initiatives, the CFO presents on the financials, and the others participate in the question-and-answer session. Within a two-week period, they travel to meetings in China, Malaysia, Ireland, and several large U.S. sites. In addition to the presentations at each site, they take facility tours and have one-on-one meetings with front-line employees of their functional organizations and with key talent while they are on site. It is a rigorous schedule, but it is very important to the president, who is committed to building a strong global team and organization. During a one-on-one meeting with the local HR manager in Malaysia, the CHRO learns that the Malaysian management team is unhappy about global conference calls always being scheduled to accommodate regular office hours in the headquarters location, resulting in the calls being at night in Malaysia. What response should the CHRO provide to the local HR manager?

Commit to the local HR manager that you will explore options and provide him with an update at the end of the month.

Which of these are ongoing activities in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) risk management process?

Communication and consultation; monitoring and review. Communication and consultation and monitoring and review are ongoing activities that are core to the continuous improvement of the risk management process.

Which is considered a threat for a company that wants to build a chemical-producing factory in a small town?

Community resistance A threat comes from an environment that is external to the company. In this case, local citizen resistance to a chemical plant may be an external threat to the organization's plans.

A 50-year-old family-owned restaurant has a good business model. Repeat customers are greeted by name, and their preferences are remembered. The owner visits each table to engage in conversation. Food quality is high, merging home cooking with new cuisine. The environment is elegant, welcoming, and unrushed, and the restaurant is known for its celebrity customers. Visitors to town make advance reservations. Business decisions are typically made in family meetings. In the next six months, the owners plan to open a new location, but they worry about maintaining the same quality of personal service and name brand at the restaurant locations. The owners have relied on immediate family, relatives, and close friends to primarily staff the restaurant, since outsiders without a family connection tend to quickly leave the business. Long-time employees take advantage of time off, yet the owners are reluctant to use discipline for fear it will anger the family. The owners' children have expressed concern about continuing in the business, receiving educational degrees in marketing and management with anticipation of launching their new careers. Realizing that they must bring on additional staff for the new location, the owners hire an HR representative with large restaurant chain recruiting experience. In addition to identifying a renowned chef to hire who currently lives in another country, the owners want to establish a bonus program. They also want to implement policies and procedures to avoid attendance issues in the future. Identifying candidates who are positioned for success within a family business environment is critical. Which should be the HR representative's key consideration in creating an external candidate applicant pool?

Competence and cultural fit is the best response, since creating a competent applicant pool to meet the essential functions of the job is always the goal. In this situation, the cultural fit is critical to position a candidate who is willing to join with family members for the good of the team.

A global organization headquartered in the U.S., known for its fair and equitable culture, has grown organically over time, and the configuration of the South American business has been established country by country. Each country has been viewed as a discrete business entity. A strategic decision has been made to grow the South American business through acquisition, with a goal of increasing the size of the organizational footprint across the region. To prepare for the acquisition, the organization reviews all the country-specific HR policies, practices, and programs. In the course of the review, HR identifies a significant disparity in the compensation structure for the CEO of the Brazilian business, who is the only female. The portfolio and bottom-line business responsibilities are similar country to country. The education and background of the five CEOs from the region are also very similar. There have been compensation adjustments along the way in acknowledgment of the growth of the business and to align with the markets in Brazil as well as in recognition of the female CEO's performance. However, looking across the South American countries involved, HR clearly sees a disparity. Right now this CEO is part of the team looking at possible organizations to acquire and has high visibility across the region. HR recognizes that Brazil is one of the global economic focus areas and that this CEO is perceived by the global heads of the business as not only key to the acquisition strategy but to the ongoing success of the entire business. Which is the best approach for HR to take to secure support from the business leaders?

Compile a statement of need and an analysis of risks and opportunities with a recommended solution estimating costs and time frames. Preparing a complete business case is the best approach.

An electronics/aerospace manufacturing organization specializing in drone development for the movie industry has been in business for 15 plus years. The company has just over 1,500 employees. It has sustained double-digit growth for the past four years and owns 80% of this specialized market. Based on this growth, employees have received on average a 6% increase, exceeding local wage increase rates. Over the past year, the employee turnover rate has increased. A majority of employees who voluntarily exited the company had received exceptional performance reviews. While there is a new competitor in the market, the competitor's starting pay rates are very similar. A recently hired HR manager reviews the exit interview data. The review identifies a perceived inequity in how disputes are resolved and the distribution of privileges, job duties, and performance rewards. Additionally, decreased attendance at company events indicates low engagement. The CEO believes strongly that good performers are leaving because competitors are "stealing" them; he does not believe that employees are leaving because of poor engagement. The CEO states that decreasing unwanted turnover is an immediate priority and directs the HR manager to increase entry salary rates to increase competiveness. The HR manager disagrees with the CEO's assessment. Which action should the HR manager take to support the overall business strategy?

Compile exit interview data correlating salary, tenure, and comments, and present it with comprehensive starting salary data.

The senior executive team in a rapidly growing health-care organization has launched a new three-year expansion plan. In the past, the recruiting manager has successfully found the right talent for positions. With the expected growth over the next three years, the senior team is concerned about having an adequate candidate pool to fill new food services, maintenance, and various critical skilled nursing positions. The current labor pool is perceived as having a limited supply of qualified candidates, and the future labor supply is not expected to adequately accommodate future growth. There is a sizeable number of underutilized retirees and military veterans in the current geographic location. Some in the HR function believe that these underutilized groups have a huge potential and should be considered in the overall recruiting strategy, while others, including the HR manager, do not support this notion. In a recent team meeting, the recruiting manager and the HR manager became involved in a heated discussion regarding their differing perspectives. Which action should the recruiting manager and business leaders take first in identifying a qualified candidate pool for the positions?

Complete a job analysis of the roles to present the interconnectivities between the organization's goals and job responsibilities. It is important to determine how jobs interrelate and support the organization's vision, mission, goals, and objectives. The job analysis identifies the tasks and responsibilities the job includes, the necessary qualifications (knowledge, skills and abilities), conditions under which the work is performed, and the reporting structure.

An electronics/aerospace manufacturing organization specializing in drone development for the movie industry has been in business for 15 plus years. The company has just over 1,500 employees. It has sustained double-digit growth for the past four years and owns 80% of this specialized market. Based on this growth, employees have received on average a 6% increase, exceeding local wage increase rates. Over the past year, the employee turnover rate has increased. A majority of employees who voluntarily exited the company had received exceptional performance reviews. While there is a new competitor in the market, the competitor's starting pay rates are very similar. A recently hired HR manager reviews the exit interview data. The review identifies a perceived inequity in how disputes are resolved and the distribution of privileges, job duties, and performance rewards. Additionally, decreased attendance at company events indicates low engagement. The CEO believes strongly that good performers are leaving because competitors are "stealing" them; he does not believe that employees are leaving because of poor engagement. The CEO states that decreasing unwanted turnover is an immediate priority and directs the HR manager to increase entry salary rates to increase competiveness. The HR manager should take which additional action to identify conditions that are creating the unwanted turnover?

Conduct one-to-one interviews with strategically selected high-performing employees

Which practice for improving employee retention would best mitigate future loss of high-performing (HP) employees?

Conducting a root cause analysis of why HP employees stay at or leave the organization Prior to implementation of any intervention for employee retention, it is essential to determine and develop a deep understanding of the reasons why employees want to stay or leave. The other answers assume a reason without conducting the analysis.

In his curriculum vitae (CV), a well-qualified applicant takes a lot of credit for team initiatives. Which is the most appropriate action for HR to take?

Consider scheduling a screening interview. It is a warning sign when an applicant takes too much credit for a team project. However, rather than automatically rejecting the applicant, HR should consider a screening call to clarify the red flag.

The president of a global automotive business headquartered in the U.S. is conducting annual global all-employee meetings. The president travels with the executive staff, which includes the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief HR officer (CHRO), and the chief technology officer (CTO), to all the factories around the world to deliver key messages to the employees. The employees gather in large meeting rooms for the presentations, which focus mainly on successes from the past year and priorities for the new year, followed by a question-and-answer session. The president delivers most of the presentation, the CHRO presents on employee engagement and development initiatives, the CFO presents on the financials, and the others participate in the question-and-answer session. Within a two-week period, they travel to meetings in China, Malaysia, Ireland, and several large U.S. sites. In addition to the presentations at each site, they take facility tours and have one-on-one meetings with front-line employees of their functional organizations and with key talent while they are on site. It is a rigorous schedule, but it is very important to the president, who is committed to building a strong global team and organization. While the president is presenting to a room full of factory associates in Tianjin, China, the CHRO notices that many of the associates are whispering to each other. The president appears flustered. What action should the CHRO take to understand the reason for the employees' behavior?

Consult with the local HR manager after the presentation to better understand why the associates were whispering during the presentation.

A domestic airline rapidly gains market share through an innovative business model, a charismatic leader, a unique work environment, and sound HR practices. This has led to a global strategic plan of aggressively acquiring small local airlines in neighboring countries. The VP of HR has been with the airline for 15 years and is an active member of its leadership team. He is a big believer in the benefits of an inclusive and multicultural workforce. This is the VP of HR's first experience with globalizing HR practices. An immediate conflict between headquarters and local policies emerges when a country HR manager raises the issue of discounted tickets for exempt U.S. management in the total rewards package. In the headquarters country, exempt management is paid on a salary basis, but in some of the new countries of operation, management is paid contractually on an hourly basis. The VP of HR is concerned that expanding the benefit globally to all management will create excessive costs and has not taken action after several requests. Frustrated, a country HR manager writes directly to the CEO about the issue, arguing that limiting this benefit may lead to legal challenges or employee relations issues that could damage the company's reputation, the work climate, and the ability to attract talent in the future. The issue is complicated by the fact that the country HR manager is herself paid hourly as a manager. How best can the VP of HR prevent the circumvention of authority issue from recurring?

Create HR communication responsiveness procedures focused on timely follow-up and tracking of items received. Creating improved communication responsiveness is the best choice. Had the VP of HR responded more promptly to the country manager's first request, there may have been no escalation to the CEO.

A global oil and gas company specializes in the construction and maintenance of offshore oil platforms. The work is highly specialized and physically demanding and can require significant time away from family and/or friends. Roughly 10% of the company's 10,000 employees are petroleum engineers: highly coveted, highly compensated key persons in the success and sustainability of the company. The average age of the company's petroleum engineers is 48, and approximately half are scheduled to retire in the next five to ten years. After a recent oil spill, the educational and safety training requirements for petroleum engineers was increased, extending the job-readiness period for new graduates to an average of two years. The company is holding its annual strategic workforce planning meeting to assess the risks associated with their current workforce demographic. The CEO has been given a mandate from the board of directors to incorporate unconventional strategic thinking in order to address the pending risk of a "critical skills shortage." The CEO asks the chief human resources officer (CHRO) to identify a strategic workforce plan, specifically looking for a high-risk, high-reward recruiting option. The CEO would like the company to retain maximum control over any pending petroleum engineer shortages and develop new pipelines of talent. Which is the best initial step for the CHRO to take to meet the CEO's direction?

Creating a fully subsidized training program that targets and transitions engineers in other engineering fields to become petroleum engineers It directly addresses the specific talent shortage by increasing the supply while not relying upon other stakeholders or the market to resolve the problem.

A health-care delivery organization has experienced significant and rather sudden growth in membership over the last year. Because this fast pace of growth is forecast to continue, HR and finance complete a labor demand analysis. They determine that the organization must increase its current employee base by approximately 30% in the next two years to properly manage the growth and to handle upcoming voluntary and involuntary separations. The analysis also indicates that approximately 30% of the current employees are either eligible for retirement now or will be in the next few years. Many of those eligible for retirement have been in leadership roles for many years and are considered key employees. High-potential employees have been identified within the organization, but not all are aligned with the departments that will be impacted most by upcoming retirements. The increase in the workload, along with the challenges associated with managing the changing demographics of members, has placed a burden on employees across the organization. Morale has declined as employees are feeling more stress. The positive message of growth in the organization is being overshadowed by the discontent of overworked employees. The senior leadership team has decided to coordinate a strategy session with executives and regional leads to assess current organizational strategies and to ensure that the business is on track to manage upcoming human capital challenges. Which key information should HR leadership prepare for the strategy session?

Current and future workforce needs and gap analysis based on current strategy D is correct. To be able to discuss current strategy and identify future strategy, a current and future workforce needs and gap analysis based on current strategy must be performed and shared.

An assessment indicates that data entry employees are making too many input errors and putting customers at risk by handling data improperly. How can HR best add value to a review of the data entry policies and procedures?

Determine if the data entry policies and procedures effectively provide employees with specific, clear instructions. The fact that there are policies and procedures for data entry employees does not mean that they are clear or provide specific instruction. In reviewing the policies and procedures, HR needs to determine if the data entry policies and procedures effectively provide employees with specific, clear instructions. If not, HR can work with subject matter experts to ensure that appropriate changes are made and implement training for employees. HR should not rewrite the policy themselves, as members of the HR team do not have that expertise. Spelling out consequences in the policy will not fix the problem, and it would not be appropriate to ask customers to contribute directly to policies and procedures.

Human resources is tasked with developing a new risk-focused security strategy for a company plant. Which is the best approach for providing the company with a cost-efficient, comprehensive system?

Determine the probability and criticality of potential losses. In conducting a risk analysis, the basic tool is the risk equation. The risk level equals the probability of occurrence times the magnitude of impact.

The senior executive team in a rapidly growing health-care organization has launched a new three-year expansion plan. In the past, the recruiting manager has successfully found the right talent for positions. With the expected growth over the next three years, the senior team is concerned about having an adequate candidate pool to fill new food services, maintenance, and various critical skilled nursing positions. The current labor pool is perceived as having a limited supply of qualified candidates, and the future labor supply is not expected to adequately accommodate future growth. There is a sizeable number of underutilized retirees and military veterans in the current geographic location. Some in the HR function believe that these underutilized groups have a huge potential and should be considered in the overall recruiting strategy, while others, including the HR manager, do not support this notion. In a recent team meeting, the recruiting manager and the HR manager became involved in a heated discussion regarding their differing perspectives. Which action should the recruiting manager take to persuade the rest of the HR team to support hiring and utilizing retiree and military veteran candidates?

Develop a business case that supports the company's business strategy.

After the board and the senior administrator have reviewed, assessed, and prioritized the items that pose the highest risk to the organization's strategic goals, which is the next step in their process?

Develop an approach to assign ownership, manage, and monitor the risk. The strategy implementation should be designated to a chief risk officer with the organizational expertise, communication skills, credibility, and managerial support to execute the plan.

After a merger, new company leadership has tasked the vice president of HR with implementing a cultural transformation initiative. Which is the best course of action to take?

Develop and schedule a culture assessment. When considering a cultural intervention, the first step is to describe the current culture. This information would be obtained by conducting a culture assessment of the entire enterprise.

An electronics/aerospace manufacturing organization specializing in drone development for the movie industry has been in business for 15 plus years. The company has just over 1,500 employees. It has sustained double-digit growth for the past four years and owns 80% of this specialized market. Based on this growth, employees have received on average a 6% increase, exceeding local wage increase rates. Over the past year, the employee turnover rate has increased. A majority of employees who voluntarily exited the company had received exceptional performance reviews. While there is a new competitor in the market, the competitor's starting pay rates are very similar. A recently hired HR manager reviews the exit interview data. The review identifies a perceived inequity in how disputes are resolved and the distribution of privileges, job duties, and performance rewards. Additionally, decreased attendance at company events indicates low engagement. The CEO believes strongly that good performers are leaving because competitors are "stealing" them; he does not believe that employees are leaving because of poor engagement. The CEO states that decreasing unwanted turnover is an immediate priority and directs the HR manager to increase entry salary rates to increase competiveness. What steps should the HR manager take to influence the CEO's beliefs about why good performers are leaving the company?

Discuss the CEO's concerns; review exit interview feedback and the company's current starting pay.

A domestic airline rapidly gains market share through an innovative business model, a charismatic leader, a unique work environment, and sound HR practices. This has led to a global strategic plan of aggressively acquiring small local airlines in neighboring countries. The VP of HR has been with the airline for 15 years and is an active member of its leadership team. He is a big believer in the benefits of an inclusive and multicultural workforce. This is the VP of HR's first experience with globalizing HR practices. An immediate conflict between headquarters and local policies emerges when a country HR manager raises the issue of discounted tickets for exempt U.S. management in the total rewards package. In the headquarters country, exempt management is paid on a salary basis, but in some of the new countries of operation, management is paid contractually on an hourly basis. The VP of HR is concerned that expanding the benefit globally to all management will create excessive costs and has not taken action after several requests. Frustrated, a country HR manager writes directly to the CEO about the issue, arguing that limiting this benefit may lead to legal challenges or employee relations issues that could damage the company's reputation, the work climate, and the ability to attract talent in the future. The issue is complicated by the fact that the country HR manager is herself paid hourly as a manager. Which method should the VP of HR use to best communicate the final policy on this matter to the organization?

Distribution of the policy with a video message from the CEO to be played at staff meetings throughout the entire organization Distributing the policy with a video message from the CEO supports the culture and the focus on inclusion and fairness.

A 50-year-old family-owned restaurant has a good business model. Repeat customers are greeted by name, and their preferences are remembered. The owner visits each table to engage in conversation. Food quality is high, merging home cooking with new cuisine. The environment is elegant, welcoming, and unrushed, and the restaurant is known for its celebrity customers. Visitors to town make advance reservations. Business decisions are typically made in family meetings. In the next six months, the owners plan to open a new location, but they worry about maintaining the same quality of personal service and name brand at the restaurant locations. The owners have relied on immediate family, relatives, and close friends to primarily staff the restaurant, since outsiders without a family connection tend to quickly leave the business. Long-time employees take advantage of time off, yet the owners are reluctant to use discipline for fear it will anger the family. The owners' children have expressed concern about continuing in the business, receiving educational degrees in marketing and management with anticipation of launching their new careers. Realizing that they must bring on additional staff for the new location, the owners hire an HR representative with large restaurant chain recruiting experience. In addition to identifying a renowned chef to hire who currently lives in another country, the owners want to establish a bonus program. They also want to implement policies and procedures to avoid attendance issues in the future. What steps should the HR representative take to support implementing an attendance policy that meets the owners' business strategy?

Download sample policies and tailor them to the company's culture/needs; comply with laws and get the owners' input. is the best response. It is critical to make sure that policies are legally sound and to speak with the owners to review and finalize the policies prior to presenting them to staff.

The HR staff in a large multinational organization is dispersed around the globe but managed under a single HR function. The staff has different skills, varied experience levels, and a wide range of roles depending on where they work. Many HR team members feel geographically and culturally isolated because they are stationed in remote areas where the regional culture and personnel issues are very different from those of the organization's headquarters. HR staff members must increasingly rely on people in their regional offices for support during absences, audits, and escalations, because headquarters staff does not understand the local issues. The VP of HR wants to build cohesion and a sense of camaraderie among all HR staff members but has limited budget for travel. What should the VP of HR do to provide the HR team with a common purpose?

Draft a vision for the global HR team that is tied to the organization's strategic goals. A common vision allows the entire HR department to work together to demonstrate the value that the HR function brings to the organization. Developing a vision is a critical step to align individual performance with organizational success.

Which form of codetermination gives the greatest amount of power to employees dissatisfied with the lack of influence on managerial decisions?

Dual system In a dual system, a supervisory board with employee representation has authority to accept or reject the management board's decisions.

At which stage of the employee life cycle would the management by objectives appraisal method be effective in driving ongoing employee commitment?

During the development phase, where the employee and the manager collaborate on developing performance objectives and goals During the development phase, HR, management, and the employee collaborate in setting goals and objectives to align with organizational needs and the evaluation process.

Which is the best resource an HR generalist should recommend to an employee who has confidentially shared that she is having financial problems?

Employee assistance program Employee assistance programs provide confidential expert advice to employees on topics such as financial information.

Which anticipated outcome should be considered when a new, global, company-wide policy allowing employees to participate on management committees in each of a company's global locations is implemented?

Employees in some cultures will not participate fully. There are challenges to implementing policies across a diverse organization, including remaining aware that the organization's cultural assumptions may not be universally shared.

Based on the recommendation of a consultant, HR creates a program to increase employee engagement. Which is the best method to generate organizational support?

Encourage employee participation in a pilot program. Stakeholder buy-in is critical for success. It involves employees in the organizational effectiveness and development process. People support what they help create. Encouraging stakeholders to participate in a pilot program provides them with another opportunity to stay involved with the program and gives them a sneak peek at the program content. They will then be able to communicate the benefits of the program to the rest of the organization and, in effect, assist with the internal marketing campaign. They can also provide feedback on the design and content of the program.

A company operates in a very cost-focused environment, keeping its customers in the forefront of every decision they make. A recent merger has doubled the company size and expanded the product offerings to better serve customers. Each of the merged organizations had a significantly different approach to HR's service delivery. However, despite these and a number of other differences, the merger went ahead. The merged company recently hired a new senior director of HR, selected primarily due to her expertise and experience in mergers and acquisitions. She reports to the CEO and the president of the newly merged company and has been tasked with leading the integration activities from an HR perspective. The HR director recognizes immediately that, aside from needing to get the new HR organization established, HR service delivery is critical due to increasing cost pressures, a larger global workforce, and increasing internal and external customer expectations. She has met with her new HR team and key business stakeholders to obtain valuable feedback and proposals. Which action should the HR director take first to achieve a successful integration of the HR functions?

Engage her HR team and key business stakeholders to deliver the right HR model for the new business. is correct, because it applies HR expertise to develop a solution that meets the needs of the situation.

An electronics/aerospace manufacturing organization specializing in drone development for the movie industry has been in business for 15 plus years. The company has just over 1,500 employees. It has sustained double-digit growth for the past four years and owns 80% of this specialized market. Based on this growth, employees have received on average a 6% increase, exceeding local wage increase rates. Over the past year, the employee turnover rate has increased. A majority of employees who voluntarily exited the company had received exceptional performance reviews. While there is a new competitor in the market, the competitor's starting pay rates are very similar. A recently hired HR manager reviews the exit interview data. The review identifies a perceived inequity in how disputes are resolved and the distribution of privileges, job duties, and performance rewards. Additionally, decreased attendance at company events indicates low engagement. The CEO believes strongly that good performers are leaving because competitors are "stealing" them; he does not believe that employees are leaving because of poor engagement. The CEO states that decreasing unwanted turnover is an immediate priority and directs the HR manager to increase entry salary rates to increase competiveness. Information gained through the HR manager's professional network affirms that that competitors are taking action to lure employees away from the company, promising to pay bonuses in six months. Which is the HR manager's next course of action

Engage the legal department to determine the next steps and be prepared to execute planned actions.

A health-care delivery organization has experienced significant and rather sudden growth in membership over the last year. Because this fast pace of growth is forecast to continue, HR and finance complete a labor demand analysis. They determine that the organization must increase its current employee base by approximately 30% in the next two years to properly manage the growth and to handle upcoming voluntary and involuntary separations. The analysis also indicates that approximately 30% of the current employees are either eligible for retirement now or will be in the next few years. Many of those eligible for retirement have been in leadership roles for many years and are considered key employees. High-potential employees have been identified within the organization, but not all are aligned with the departments that will be impacted most by upcoming retirements. The increase in the workload, along with the challenges associated with managing the changing demographics of members, has placed a burden on employees across the organization. Morale has declined as employees are feeling more stress. The positive message of growth in the organization is being overshadowed by the discontent of overworked employees. The senior leadership team has decided to coordinate a strategy session with executives and regional leads to assess current organizational strategies and to ensure that the business is on track to manage upcoming human capital challenges. With the patient base growing so rapidly, how can HR best support the organization in maintaining customer satisfaction?

Ensure that candidates selected for consideration for open positions have a proven track record in customer service.

Older employees in an organization are upset about a new benefit that favors young parents. Which might be a solution to this problem?

Expansion of benefit options New benefits could include options of interest to a range of employees.

A 50-year-old family-owned restaurant has a good business model. Repeat customers are greeted by name, and their preferences are remembered. The owner visits each table to engage in conversation. Food quality is high, merging home cooking with new cuisine. The environment is elegant, welcoming, and unrushed, and the restaurant is known for its celebrity customers. Visitors to town make advance reservations. Business decisions are typically made in family meetings. In the next six months, the owners plan to open a new location, but they worry about maintaining the same quality of personal service and name brand at the restaurant locations. The owners have relied on immediate family, relatives, and close friends to primarily staff the restaurant, since outsiders without a family connection tend to quickly leave the business. Long-time employees take advantage of time off, yet the owners are reluctant to use discipline for fear it will anger the family. The owners' children have expressed concern about continuing in the business, receiving educational degrees in marketing and management with anticipation of launching their new careers. Realizing that they must bring on additional staff for the new location, the owners hire an HR representative with large restaurant chain recruiting experience. In addition to identifying a renowned chef to hire who currently lives in another country, the owners want to establish a bonus program. They also want to implement policies and procedures to avoid attendance issues in the future. Which action should the HR representative do to quickly establish credibility as a trusted advisor and partner?

Explore business challenges, priorities, and plans with business leaders. is the best response. Establishing a common platform to develop and implement people strategies to support business objectives is needed. Meet with business leaders as a group and individually to glean differentiating viewpoints that may not surface during group meetings because of "group think." Varying perspectives may need to be reconciled to position the expansion for success.

The senior executive team in a rapidly growing health-care organization has launched a new three-year expansion plan. In the past, the recruiting manager has successfully found the right talent for positions. With the expected growth over the next three years, the senior team is concerned about having an adequate candidate pool to fill new food services, maintenance, and various critical skilled nursing positions. The current labor pool is perceived as having a limited supply of qualified candidates, and the future labor supply is not expected to adequately accommodate future growth. There is a sizeable number of underutilized retirees and military veterans in the current geographic location. Some in the HR function believe that these underutilized groups have a huge potential and should be considered in the overall recruiting strategy, while others, including the HR manager, do not support this notion. In a recent team meeting, the recruiting manager and the HR manager became involved in a heated discussion regarding their differing perspectives. Expanding the candidate pool to include retirees and military veterans would be a significant recruiting change. The recruiting manager's skill in bringing the opposing perspectives together is essential. What should be the first step for mitigating this resistance?

Explore the HR manager's concerns without bias, reviewing, researching, and identifying impacts to overall business strategy. Listening without judgment is a good first step in addressing resistance to change. Review each of the HR manager's concerns using objective information rather than relying on personal opinions and perceptions.

A 50-year-old family-owned restaurant has a good business model. Repeat customers are greeted by name, and their preferences are remembered. The owner visits each table to engage in conversation. Food quality is high, merging home cooking with new cuisine. The environment is elegant, welcoming, and unrushed, and the restaurant is known for its celebrity customers. Visitors to town make advance reservations. Business decisions are typically made in family meetings. In the next six months, the owners plan to open a new location, but they worry about maintaining the same quality of personal service and name brand at the restaurant locations. The owners have relied on immediate family, relatives, and close friends to primarily staff the restaurant, since outsiders without a family connection tend to quickly leave the business. Long-time employees take advantage of time off, yet the owners are reluctant to use discipline for fear it will anger the family. The owners' children have expressed concern about continuing in the business, receiving educational degrees in marketing and management with anticipation of launching their new careers. Realizing that they must bring on additional staff for the new location, the owners hire an HR representative with large restaurant chain recruiting experience. In addition to identifying a renowned chef to hire who currently lives in another country, the owners want to establish a bonus program. They also want to implement policies and procedures to avoid attendance issues in the future. To make an immediate impact in the organization, which initiative should the HR representative complete first?

Finalize the chef selection and initiate a visa application. is the best response. Without a chef, the new location will not open. Since time is short, the immigration and work authorizations must be handled immediately.

A global oil and gas company specializes in the construction and maintenance of offshore oil platforms. The work is highly specialized and physically demanding and can require significant time away from family and/or friends. Roughly 10% of the company's 10,000 employees are petroleum engineers: highly coveted, highly compensated key persons in the success and sustainability of the company. The average age of the company's petroleum engineers is 48, and approximately half are scheduled to retire in the next five to ten years. After a recent oil spill, the educational and safety training requirements for petroleum engineers was increased, extending the job-readiness period for new graduates to an average of two years. The company is holding its annual strategic workforce planning meeting to assess the risks associated with their current workforce demographic. The CEO has been given a mandate from the board of directors to incorporate unconventional strategic thinking in order to address the pending risk of a "critical skills shortage." The CEO asks the HR director for recommendations in preparation for the annual strategic workforce planning meeting. Which of the following is the HR director's best approach in her recommendation to address the CEO's and the board of directors' concerns?

Formulate a succession plan through an ongoing assessment of workforce needs and talent supply. Succession planning is a known risk that has a major impact on the sustainability of the company. It is immediate because quality workers cannot be job-ready for several years and the shortage exists now.

Which organization is using a dedicated HR model structure?

Headquarters articulates values and develops HR tools, and HR functions embedded in business units develop local policies and practices. Dedicated HR allows businesses with different strategies in multiple units to apply HR expertise to each unit's specific strategic needs. There is an HR function at headquarters and a corporate function embedded in companies or business units.

How would Hofstede label a culture that is nurturing, empathetic, and oriented toward quality of life and that strives for consensus?

High feminine Hofstede's masculine/feminine dimension assesses the degree to which a culture prefers values traditionally associated with male characteristics (ambition, competition, achievement) or female characteristics (nurturing, collaboration, empathetic).

At an organization with 3,500-plus full-time employees, annual benefits enrollment is done manually on paper documents, which are reviewed, audited, and then uploaded into the HRIS benefits program. This manual process takes approximately 30 to 45 days. The HR director provides staff not trained in benefits for the data entry phase when overtime is required, resulting in a 20% to 30% data entry error rate each year, with slow response times for corrections. These manual processes are in place because the former benefits manager was uncomfortable implementing new computer programs. Since the organization has a shared database and a majority of the employees have computer access at their desks, a newly hired HR benefits manager suggests activation of an employee self-service (ESS) online enrollment process in the HRIS. The executive team approves this suggestion for full implementation within the next 14 months. The new ESS process should result in a significant reduction in errors, a faster customer service response time, and a shorter budget reconciliation period. The new benefits manager develops a plan to implement the ESS program within 12 months, but the HR director insists on implementation at the start of the next enrollment period, which is less than five months away, in spite of the manager's objections. Consequently, a larger number of benefit errors show up during the year following implementation. Which action should the new HR benefits manager take if the error rate increases due to the accelerated ESS implementation phase and its reduced training time for employees?

Identify errors and notify leadership of both positive implementation results of the ESS system and steps being taken to resolve the errors going forward.

HR is purchasing and customizing a manager self-service (MSS) product. At the beginning of the project, the HR director asked managers to complete an online survey about their needs and then used this information to create project objectives. How can the HR director make sure that the managers will support the final product when it is launched?

Identify influential managers and discuss decisions and milestones with them as the project proceeeds. It is critical to a project's success to keep key stakeholders informed as a project proceeds about issues and decisions and to invite their feedback. This helps build internal customer satisfaction with and acceptance of the final product. These key stakeholders can become champions for the MSS product. The survey probably did not yield a representative sample of key manager stakeholders, so focusing stakeholder management activities on them will not be enough to ensure stakeholder needs and expectations are met. Stakeholders do not have to be active members of a project; they need to be informed and consulted.

At an organization with 3,500-plus full-time employees, annual benefits enrollment is done manually on paper documents, which are reviewed, audited, and then uploaded into the HRIS benefits program. This manual process takes approximately 30 to 45 days. The HR director provides staff not trained in benefits for the data entry phase when overtime is required, resulting in a 20% to 30% data entry error rate each year, with slow response times for corrections. These manual processes are in place because the former benefits manager was uncomfortable implementing new computer programs. Since the organization has a shared database and a majority of the employees have computer access at their desks, a newly hired HR benefits manager suggests activation of an employee self-service (ESS) online enrollment process in the HRIS. The executive team approves this suggestion for full implementation within the next 14 months. The new ESS process should result in a significant reduction in errors, a faster customer service response time, and a shorter budget reconciliation period. The new benefits manager develops a plan to implement the ESS program within 12 months, but the HR director insists on implementation at the start of the next enrollment period, which is less than five months away, in spite of the manager's objections. Consequently, a larger number of benefit errors show up during the year following implementation. Which solution should the new benefits manager propose regarding the company benefits enrollment process?

Implement the new ESS program but include data integrity checks that HR benefits staff can monitor to ensure accuracy.

A global oil and gas company specializes in the construction and maintenance of offshore oil platforms. The work is highly specialized and physically demanding and can require significant time away from family and/or friends. Roughly 10% of the company's 10,000 employees are petroleum engineers: highly coveted, highly compensated key persons in the success and sustainability of the company. The average age of the company's petroleum engineers is 48, and approximately half are scheduled to retire in the next five to ten years. After a recent oil spill, the educational and safety training requirements for petroleum engineers was increased, extending the job-readiness period for new graduates to an average of two years. The company is holding its annual strategic workforce planning meeting to assess the risks associated with their current workforce demographic. The CEO has been given a mandate from the board of directors to incorporate unconventional strategic thinking in order to address the pending risk of a "critical skills shortage." The leaders of the organization want to consider all options for sourcing and retaining talent. Which is the best action for the CHRO to take to create a low-risk, best-potential-return strategy for improving the company's pending "critical skills shortage"?

Implementing a self-directed flexible schedule for weekly working hours and advertising this work plan option to petroleum engineers is the best answer. It addresses one of the biggest job concerns, work/life balance, by giving more control to potential employees and treating talent more like a partner than an employee.

A large multinational corporation hosts a competitive student internship program every summer to identify future talent and recruit candidates for part-time employment during the school year. Each year five interns are selected from over 200 applicants. Interns come from diverse backgrounds, and many do not have experience in a corporate environment. An HR manager leads a team of three HR staff who are responsible for successfully implementing the internship program components, including onboarding and training in business etiquette, team building, and computer skills. Several weeks after the start of the internship, the HR manager receives an e-mail from a senior VP stating that an intern has sent an inappropriate e-mail to the entire executive team. A few days later, the intern's supervisor notifies the HR manager that the intern appears unkempt and has been wearing the same clothing for several days in a row. In addition, the supervisor states that a written complaint was submitted by a group of employees alleging that the intern uses unprofessional language in common areas of the workplace. The HR manager sends the intern an e-mail requesting a meeting. The senior VP requests a meeting with the intern and the HR manager to discuss the e-mail sent to the executive team. What should the HR manager do?

Inform the senior VP that HR will meet with the intern first to gain a clearer understanding of the situation. Since the HR manager is responsible for the internship program, she should meet with the intern first to understand his behaviors and reinforce the information that was shared during the orientation and onboarding program. Including the VP during the initial conversation may unnecessarily escalate the situation.

A program pairs at-risk young people with corporate mentors who encourage them to stay in school. Which is the primary advantage to an organization participating in the program?

It will build goodwill in the community. The most immediate result of the organization's participation will be the goodwill that it builds in the community. This type of publicity can be more valuable than that generated by an advertising campaign.

An organization has experienced continuing challenges trying to track the training that employees have had and their development plans. Which type of HR technology system could help facilitate this tracking?

Learning management system A learning management system (LMS) tracks enrollment and attendance at training and can produce development plans.

Due to a tight labor market, the organization is having difficulty finding skilled labor for an upcoming project. The HR director recommends using a staffing agency to find employees for the project. Which of the following is a critical consideration when determining the best staffing arrangement?

Legal risks Legal risks and liability concerns are of primary importance when determining the staffing arrangements.

Which trait is not desirable in a leader in any culture?

Loner A leader should not be a loner but should establish relationships with team members and stakeholders, using those relationships to understand these individuals better. In this way, leaders can satisfy stakeholders' expectations and motivate team members toward a shared goal.

In a targeted effort to attract more diverse talent, a global organization is sponsoring after-school training that prepares any at-risk student for entry-level internships. Which potential dynamic is the most likely to work against this initiative?

Majority backlash from parents of students who are not at risk Because this is a targeted effort to attract at-risk students, students who are not at risk will not qualify, and their parents may feel that their children should not be excluded from the benefits of this initiative. Since at-risk students are the target audience, similarity bias doesn't apply; neither does bias-based exclusion. Although students (rather than parents) might engage in "covering" behavior, it is not the dynamic most likely to work against this initiative.

Diversity and inclusion efforts in an organization appear to lack the full support of several executive managers. Which step might HR take?

Make a business case for diversity and inclusion. There are numerous ways in which diversity and inclusion may contribute to the financial performance of an organization. Top executives, whose support is essential for the success of diversity and inclusion initiatives, are likely to be more receptive of such initiatives if they see them as being aligned with organizational performance.

At an organization with 3,500-plus full-time employees, annual benefits enrollment is done manually on paper documents, which are reviewed, audited, and then uploaded into the HRIS benefits program. This manual process takes approximately 30 to 45 days. The HR director provides staff not trained in benefits for the data entry phase when overtime is required, resulting in a 20% to 30% data entry error rate each year, with slow response times for corrections. These manual processes are in place because the former benefits manager was uncomfortable implementing new computer programs. Since the organization has a shared database and a majority of the employees have computer access at their desks, a newly hired HR benefits manager suggests activation of an employee self-service (ESS) online enrollment process in the HRIS. The executive team approves this suggestion for full implementation within the next 14 months. The new ESS process should result in a significant reduction in errors, a faster customer service response time, and a shorter budget reconciliation period. The new benefits manager develops a plan to implement the ESS program within 12 months, but the HR director insists on implementation at the start of the next enrollment period, which is less than five months away, in spite of the manager's objections. Consequently, a larger number of benefit errors show up during the year following implementation. How best can the new HR benefits manager accurately assess the success of the ESS program?

Measure post-ESS implementation error rates and process time frames in comparison to the last benefit cycle's processes.

At an organization with 3,500-plus full-time employees, annual benefits enrollment is done manually on paper documents, which are reviewed, audited, and then uploaded into the HRIS benefits program. This manual process takes approximately 30 to 45 days. The HR director provides staff not trained in benefits for the data entry phase when overtime is required, resulting in a 20% to 30% data entry error rate each year, with slow response times for corrections. These manual processes are in place because the former benefits manager was uncomfortable implementing new computer programs. Since the organization has a shared database and a majority of the employees have computer access at their desks, a newly hired HR benefits manager suggests activation of an employee self-service (ESS) online enrollment process in the HRIS. The executive team approves this suggestion for full implementation within the next 14 months. The new ESS process should result in a significant reduction in errors, a faster customer service response time, and a shorter budget reconciliation period. The new benefits manager develops a plan to implement the ESS program within 12 months, but the HR director insists on implementation at the start of the next enrollment period, which is less than five months away, in spite of the manager's objections. Consequently, a larger number of benefit errors show up during the year following implementation. After identifying the specific causes for the high error rate, which step should the new benefits manager take next in the solution process?

Meet and consult with the benefits staff to brainstorm potential solutions to the benefits error problems.

An electronics/aerospace manufacturing organization specializing in drone development for the movie industry has been in business for 15 plus years. The company has just over 1,500 employees. It has sustained double-digit growth for the past four years and owns 80% of this specialized market. Based on this growth, employees have received on average a 6% increase, exceeding local wage increase rates. Over the past year, the employee turnover rate has increased. A majority of employees who voluntarily exited the company had received exceptional performance reviews. While there is a new competitor in the market, the competitor's starting pay rates are very similar. A recently hired HR manager reviews the exit interview data. The review identifies a perceived inequity in how disputes are resolved and the distribution of privileges, job duties, and performance rewards. Additionally, decreased attendance at company events indicates low engagement. The CEO believes strongly that good performers are leaving because competitors are "stealing" them; he does not believe that employees are leaving because of poor engagement. The CEO states that decreasing unwanted turnover is an immediate priority and directs the HR manager to increase entry salary rates to increase competiveness. Despite being presented with objective data to the contrary, the CEO still believes that the new competitor is stealing employees. Which is the HR manager's best next step in garnering support to explore alternative root causes for the unwanted turnover?

Meet individually with key leadership stakeholders, starting with the CEO's direct reports and other designated leaders.

A 50-year-old family-owned restaurant has a good business model. Repeat customers are greeted by name, and their preferences are remembered. The owner visits each table to engage in conversation. Food quality is high, merging home cooking with new cuisine. The environment is elegant, welcoming, and unrushed, and the restaurant is known for its celebrity customers. Visitors to town make advance reservations. Business decisions are typically made in family meetings. In the next six months, the owners plan to open a new location, but they worry about maintaining the same quality of personal service and name brand at the restaurant locations. The owners have relied on immediate family, relatives, and close friends to primarily staff the restaurant, since outsiders without a family connection tend to quickly leave the business. Long-time employees take advantage of time off, yet the owners are reluctant to use discipline for fear it will anger the family. The owners' children have expressed concern about continuing in the business, receiving educational degrees in marketing and management with anticipation of launching their new careers. Realizing that they must bring on additional staff for the new location, the owners hire an HR representative with large restaurant chain recruiting experience. In addition to identifying a renowned chef to hire who currently lives in another country, the owners want to establish a bonus program. They also want to implement policies and procedures to avoid attendance issues in the future. Given the owners' children's uncertainty, the HR representative identifies a potential need for a succession plan, initially at the senior leader level. Which is the best course of action the HR representative should take to start this process?

Meet separately with the children to determine leadership expectations and then prepare a SWOT analysis. is the best response, as it forces the difficult conversation about future leadership and exposes gaps in succession planning.

A domestic airline rapidly gains market share through an innovative business model, a charismatic leader, a unique work environment, and sound HR practices. This has led to a global strategic plan of aggressively acquiring small local airlines in neighboring countries. The VP of HR has been with the airline for 15 years and is an active member of its leadership team. He is a big believer in the benefits of an inclusive and multicultural workforce. This is the VP of HR's first experience with globalizing HR practices. An immediate conflict between headquarters and local policies emerges when a country HR manager raises the issue of discounted tickets for exempt U.S. management in the total rewards package. In the headquarters country, exempt management is paid on a salary basis, but in some of the new countries of operation, management is paid contractually on an hourly basis. The VP of HR is concerned that expanding the benefit globally to all management will create excessive costs and has not taken action after several requests. Frustrated, a country HR manager writes directly to the CEO about the issue, arguing that limiting this benefit may lead to legal challenges or employee relations issues that could damage the company's reputation, the work climate, and the ability to attract talent in the future. The issue is complicated by the fact that the country HR manager is herself paid hourly as a manager. How should the VP of HR approach the country HR manager who went around him and wrote directly to the CEO?

Meet with the manager virtually or in person as soon as possible and have a candid and open discussion of the matter. Meeting virtually or in person with the country manager is the best choice. This allows full discussion of the conflict and the opportunity to avoid future conflicts by improving communication.

A company has been successful in recruiting a diverse workforce but has not seen a diversification of top management ranks. Which program might be most successful in addressing this problem?

Mentorship program. A mentorship program may identify potential leaders from diverse backgrounds and then focus on preparing them for top management positions through mentoring relationships with current leaders.

A global organization headquartered in the U.S., known for its fair and equitable culture, has grown organically over time, and the configuration of the South American business has been established country by country. Each country has been viewed as a discrete business entity. A strategic decision has been made to grow the South American business through acquisition, with a goal of increasing the size of the organizational footprint across the region. To prepare for the acquisition, the organization reviews all the country-specific HR policies, practices, and programs. In the course of the review, HR identifies a significant disparity in the compensation structure for the CEO of the Brazilian business, who is the only female. The portfolio and bottom-line business responsibilities are similar country to country. The education and background of the five CEOs from the region are also very similar. There have been compensation adjustments along the way in acknowledgment of the growth of the business and to align with the markets in Brazil as well as in recognition of the female CEO's performance. However, looking across the South American countries involved, HR clearly sees a disparity. Right now this CEO is part of the team looking at possible organizations to acquire and has high visibility across the region. HR recognizes that Brazil is one of the global economic focus areas and that this CEO is perceived by the global heads of the business as not only key to the acquisition strategy but to the ongoing success of the entire business. Which HR approach best addresses both the organizational growth and the pay equity?

Move from a polycentric, local responsiveness approach to a regiocentric global integration perspective for compensation. Moving from a polycentric LR approach to a regiocentric GI approach will help level compensation in the full region and eliminate disparity by individual location.

In a succession planning system, how are employees generally evaluated?

Multiple evaluations by different managers Unlike replacement planning, which emphasizes evaluation of an employee's performance on the job over time, succession planning systems use multiple evaluations by different managers on different assignments.

A 50-year-old family-owned restaurant has a good business model. Repeat customers are greeted by name, and their preferences are remembered. The owner visits each table to engage in conversation. Food quality is high, merging home cooking with new cuisine. The environment is elegant, welcoming, and unrushed, and the restaurant is known for its celebrity customers. Visitors to town make advance reservations. Business decisions are typically made in family meetings. In the next six months, the owners plan to open a new location, but they worry about maintaining the same quality of personal service and name brand at the restaurant locations. The owners have relied on immediate family, relatives, and close friends to primarily staff the restaurant, since outsiders without a family connection tend to quickly leave the business. Long-time employees take advantage of time off, yet the owners are reluctant to use discipline for fear it will anger the family. The owners' children have expressed concern about continuing in the business, receiving educational degrees in marketing and management with anticipation of launching their new careers. Realizing that they must bring on additional staff for the new location, the owners hire an HR representative with large restaurant chain recruiting experience. In addition to identifying a renowned chef to hire who currently lives in another country, the owners want to establish a bonus program. They also want to implement policies and procedures to avoid attendance issues in the future. Which action should the HR representative take first to understand current operational and other business practices?

Observe the staff and interview employees to identify key success formulas. Gathering critical information about the specific environment will assist in developing a recruiting plan

An organization is shifting to the use of a shared service center for career development. Previously, functions handled this themselves with some support from HR. How can the HR leader ensure that this shift will be accepted internally? Answers

Open and sustain communication lines between HR and function leaders. The change may be resisted by functions, which may not feel involved and may not trust HR to deliver this important service. Involving functional leadership early in the process and inviting continual feedback after implementation will help acceptance. Incorporating measurement tools and training are necessary but do not address the source of resistance. Locating the center in one function will not ensure support from other functions.

A company operates in a very cost-focused environment, keeping its customers in the forefront of every decision they make. A recent merger has doubled the company size and expanded the product offerings to better serve customers. Each of the merged organizations had a significantly different approach to HR's service delivery. However, despite these and a number of other differences, the merger went ahead. The merged company recently hired a new senior director of HR, selected primarily due to her expertise and experience in mergers and acquisitions. She reports to the CEO and the president of the newly merged company and has been tasked with leading the integration activities from an HR perspective. The HR director recognizes immediately that, aside from needing to get the new HR organization established, HR service delivery is critical due to increasing cost pressures, a larger global workforce, and increasing internal and external customer expectations. She has met with her new HR team and key business stakeholders to obtain valuable feedback and proposals. How can the director best gain support for the HR structural changes she wants to make?

Perform a SWOT analysis and environmental scan to provide data points for making her recommendations. HR professionals should base decisions on evidence gained from gathering and analyzing data

A company that formally commits to training 60 members of its programming staff in a designated programming language within a 12-month time period is articulating what type of communication?

Performance objective A performance objective is a specific achievement required to meet a strategic goal. It is a path toward a strategic goal. This statement does not reflect what will be required to accomplish the target performance (resources) or how it will be accomplished (an action plan).

In a merger, one leader is known for breaking the rules to innovate and the other is known for maintaining strict control over decision making. Which outcome is most likely to occur?

Period of conflict driving decision-making authority downward in the company When authority is redistributed in a merger, decision making may move downward toward line managers. None of the other answers is related to redistribution of decision-making authority in a merger.

A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board's announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company's culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes. The CHRO researches the history of the company's performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability. After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated. Which action should the CHRO take first to implement the new performance management system?

Personally meet with each senior leader to explain the benefits of the new system and ask for feedback and questions. Personally meeting with each senior leader to explain the benefits of the new system and ask for feedback and questions will help the CHRO establish strong positive relationships and build support for the system.

A domestic airline rapidly gains market share through an innovative business model, a charismatic leader, a unique work environment, and sound HR practices. This has led to a global strategic plan of aggressively acquiring small local airlines in neighboring countries. The VP of HR has been with the airline for 15 years and is an active member of its leadership team. He is a big believer in the benefits of an inclusive and multicultural workforce. This is the VP of HR's first experience with globalizing HR practices. An immediate conflict between headquarters and local policies emerges when a country HR manager raises the issue of discounted tickets for exempt U.S. management in the total rewards package. In the headquarters country, exempt management is paid on a salary basis, but in some of the new countries of operation, management is paid contractually on an hourly basis. The VP of HR is concerned that expanding the benefit globally to all management will create excessive costs and has not taken action after several requests. Frustrated, a country HR manager writes directly to the CEO about the issue, arguing that limiting this benefit may lead to legal challenges or employee relations issues that could damage the company's reputation, the work climate, and the ability to attract talent in the future. The issue is complicated by the fact that the country HR manager is herself paid hourly as a manager. The CEO is concerned by the communication from the country HR manager and urges the VP of HR to respond quickly. How should the VP of HR proceed?

Prepare a business case for leadership on the costs and benefits of extending the discount globally. A business case for ensuring fair and equal treatment of all employees based on duties and responsibilities, rather than status, is the best choice.

What information technology (IT) priority is HR in a good position to support?

Protecting the integrity and security of the organization's information Since HR generally controls the code of conduct, employee policies and handbooks, and new employee orientation, HR is is a good position to communicate the need for data security and policies to uphold security. IT or procurement will enforce purchasing guidelines, although HR is responsible for its own compliance with the guidelines. Managing investment in the infrastructure is beyond HR's expertise. Identifying key business processes should involve all functions, although HR could provide expertise in consultation.

At an organization with 3,500-plus full-time employees, annual benefits enrollment is done manually on paper documents, which are reviewed, audited, and then uploaded into the HRIS benefits program. This manual process takes approximately 30 to 45 days. The HR director provides staff not trained in benefits for the data entry phase when overtime is required, resulting in a 20% to 30% data entry error rate each year, with slow response times for corrections. These manual processes are in place because the former benefits manager was uncomfortable implementing new computer programs. Since the organization has a shared database and a majority of the employees have computer access at their desks, a newly hired HR benefits manager suggests activation of an employee self-service (ESS) online enrollment process in the HRIS. The executive team approves this suggestion for full implementation within the next 14 months. The new ESS process should result in a significant reduction in errors, a faster customer service response time, and a shorter budget reconciliation period. The new benefits manager develops a plan to implement the ESS program within 12 months, but the HR director insists on implementation at the start of the next enrollment period, which is less than five months away, in spite of the manager's objections. Consequently, a larger number of benefit errors show up during the year following implementation. Which is the best approach for the HR benefits manager to take to ensure that the employees and other stakeholders of the organization continue to support the ESS program?

Provide employees with access to the ESS training 24/7 and create an updated frequently asked questions page.

In an effort to determine specific causes for the failure of a marketing campaign, HR identifies complaints related to satisfaction with the product, delays in delivery time, and shipping errors. What would be a good next step?

Put the data into a Pareto chart. A Pareto chart will help HR prioritize actions by showing which types of complaints were most common and therefore contributed more strongly to the campaign's failure. A full process analysis is needed before the start of a department restructure. Customer satisfaction metrics are a good idea, but customer satisfaction may not be the most important problem here. Analysis must be performed before reporting to stakeholders.

A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board's announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company's culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes. The CHRO researches the history of the company's performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability. After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated. Which significant factor should the CHRO consider first when implementing the new performance management system?

Readiness of employees to use the software program in the new system To be successful, the CHRO must first ensure that the employees are able and willing to use the performance management system effectively. If the employees are unwilling or unable, the CHRO will need to plan additional actions.

A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board's announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company's culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes. The CHRO researches the history of the company's performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability. After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated. What should the CHRO recommend as next steps after the implementation of the performance management system?

Recognizing all milestone successes of the implementation and then communicating the next steps recognizing successes and then revealing next steps keeps driving momentum and engagement. This is necessary to sustain a major change initiative.

Which best describes employees in an entitlement-oriented culture?

Reducing individual pressure to contribute Some organizations foster a caring, paternalistic feeling and want employees to feel that they are a "part of the family." These organizations usually provide employees with a variety of benefits. Typically, as benefits increase, less emphasis is put on individual employee contributions, initiative, and responsibility and more emphasis is put on the profitability/success of the organization as a whole.

A leader of a function tries to influence her staff's satisfaction and productivity by being friendly and asking questions about their non-work lives. What type of power is she using?

Referent Referent power derives from the strength of a leader's personality, which can create feelings of admiration and loyalty in others. Legitimate power derives from official position or title. Reward power exists when the leader has the ability to motivate with rewards, and coercive power exists when the leader has the power to punish. Expert power derives from the leader's superior knowledge, skills, or experience in an area.

An HR manager wants to detect a correlation between possession of a certain type of degree and job performance ratings. What type of analysis would help?

Regression analysis Regression analysis establishes the relationship of one or more independent variables (here, type of degree) on a dependent variable (performance rating). The correlation can be strong or weak. A varianace analysis shows deviation (greater or less) from a target, such as a budget or a performance objective. A trend analysis shows how the same metric changes over time (e.g., percentage of women in a workforce over the last 20 years). A root cause analysis traces a problem backward by identifying possible causes and then identifying possible causes for each of those causes.

A health-care delivery organization has experienced significant and rather sudden growth in membership over the last year. Because this fast pace of growth is forecast to continue, HR and finance complete a labor demand analysis. They determine that the organization must increase its current employee base by approximately 30% in the next two years to properly manage the growth and to handle upcoming voluntary and involuntary separations. The analysis also indicates that approximately 30% of the current employees are either eligible for retirement now or will be in the next few years. Many of those eligible for retirement have been in leadership roles for many years and are considered key employees. High-potential employees have been identified within the organization, but not all are aligned with the departments that will be impacted most by upcoming retirements. The increase in the workload, along with the challenges associated with managing the changing demographics of members, has placed a burden on employees across the organization. Morale has declined as employees are feeling more stress. The positive message of growth in the organization is being overshadowed by the discontent of overworked employees. The senior leadership team has decided to coordinate a strategy session with executives and regional leads to assess current organizational strategies and to ensure that the business is on track to manage upcoming human capital challenges. Which is the most immediate strategy the HR leadership should implement to improve morale in the organization?

Regularly communicate information about the recruiting status across the organization to employees.

In trend and ratio analysis, which can most affect the ability to accurately project past figures into the future?

Relationships between two variables and whether they remain consistent The key to accurate projections is whether the relationships will continue to hold. The length of time it takes to complete the analysis could affect the relationships, but it is the relationship, not the time, that is the key factor. The acceptance and support of key management has nothing to do with the ability to project past figures into the future.

A health-care delivery organization has experienced significant and rather sudden growth in membership over the last year. Because this fast pace of growth is forecast to continue, HR and finance complete a labor demand analysis. They determine that the organization must increase its current employee base by approximately 30% in the next two years to properly manage the growth and to handle upcoming voluntary and involuntary separations. The analysis also indicates that approximately 30% of the current employees are either eligible for retirement now or will be in the next few years. Many of those eligible for retirement have been in leadership roles for many years and are considered key employees. High-potential employees have been identified within the organization, but not all are aligned with the departments that will be impacted most by upcoming retirements. The increase in the workload, along with the challenges associated with managing the changing demographics of members, has placed a burden on employees across the organization. Morale has declined as employees are feeling more stress. The positive message of growth in the organization is being overshadowed by the discontent of overworked employees. The senior leadership team has decided to coordinate a strategy session with executives and regional leads to assess current organizational strategies and to ensure that the business is on track to manage upcoming human capital challenges. Which is the best approach the HR leadership team can take to manage the current labor shortage?

Research and forecast the duration of the labor shortage and then prepare recommendations.

A global organization headquartered in the U.S., known for its fair and equitable culture, has grown organically over time, and the configuration of the South American business has been established country by country. Each country has been viewed as a discrete business entity. A strategic decision has been made to grow the South American business through acquisition, with a goal of increasing the size of the organizational footprint across the region. To prepare for the acquisition, the organization reviews all the country-specific HR policies, practices, and programs. In the course of the review, HR identifies a significant disparity in the compensation structure for the CEO of the Brazilian business, who is the only female. The portfolio and bottom-line business responsibilities are similar country to country. The education and background of the five CEOs from the region are also very similar. There have been compensation adjustments along the way in acknowledgment of the growth of the business and to align with the markets in Brazil as well as in recognition of the female CEO's performance. However, looking across the South American countries involved, HR clearly sees a disparity. Right now this CEO is part of the team looking at possible organizations to acquire and has high visibility across the region. HR recognizes that Brazil is one of the global economic focus areas and that this CEO is perceived by the global heads of the business as not only key to the acquisition strategy but to the ongoing success of the entire business. What areas other than strategic compensation would be important considerations for HR in preparing for organizational growth regionally?

Reviewing a broad array of policies that will be needed to support integration Developing a broad array of policies that are compliant from a regional perspective will be critical to ensure consistency across the region and support the company culture regionally.

The HR staff in a large multinational organization is dispersed around the globe but managed under a single HR function. The staff has different skills, varied experience levels, and a wide range of roles depending on where they work. Many HR team members feel geographically and culturally isolated because they are stationed in remote areas where the regional culture and personnel issues are very different from those of the organization's headquarters. HR staff members must increasingly rely on people in their regional offices for support during absences, audits, and escalations, because headquarters staff does not understand the local issues. The VP of HR wants to build cohesion and a sense of camaraderie among all HR staff members but has limited budget for travel. Which strategy should the VP of HR use to effectively build HR team cohesion?

Schedule regular calls for the entire team to report on their recent and upcoming activities. While a virtual approach does not replace face-to-face interactions, regular calls will begin to create a sense of team support and cameraderie among the group. By using the calls as a starting point, the VP of HR is demonstrating the team aspect of the 4 Ts of effective global leadership (travel, teams, training, transfers) and assisting in the development of relationships among the group.

A global, 10,000-employee, performance-driven manufacturing company recently instituted a major cultural shift with the board's announcement of a new CEO. The CEO outlined a revitalized focus on performance and productivity, including an update to the 100-year-old company's culture, vision, and values. The CEO tasks a newly hired chief human resources officer (CHRO) with developing a new performance management system aligned to these changes. The CHRO researches the history of the company's performance management system and discovers that, although employees have usually achieved individual targets, the company has not hit its overall performance and financial targets even once. The CHRO determines that significant elements in a new performance management system would be stronger management capabilities and increased individual accountability. After careful analysis, the CHRO recommends an approach. The CHRO believes that this new system will create a way to differentiate performance among employees at all levels as well as identify high-potential future leaders. It also creates a way to identify poor performers, giving the company an approach to close performance gaps through various developmental activities. Finally, the new performance system will bring transparency to the way employees are evaluated. How should the CHRO communicate the new performance management system to employees across all locations?

Schedule town hall meetings in all locations to discuss the new system. Scheduling town hall meetings in all locations to discuss the new system allows for interactive discussion and communication.

What is the level of interaction that senior HR leadership has with executive management?

Senior HR leadership contributes to the development of organizational strategy, advising the organization on the human capital implications of strategic decisions. HR leadership interacts directly with executive management, contributing to the development of organizational strategy and advising the organization on the human capital implications of strategic decisions.

What is the name of Ulrich and Brockbank's alternative structural model that is frequently used in organizations with multiple business units?

Shared services model In a shared services model, each business unit can supplement its resources by selecting what it needs from a menu of HR services (usually transactional) that the units agree to share.

A company operates in a very cost-focused environment, keeping its customers in the forefront of every decision they make. A recent merger has doubled the company size and expanded the product offerings to better serve customers. Each of the merged organizations had a significantly different approach to HR's service delivery. However, despite these and a number of other differences, the merger went ahead. The merged company recently hired a new senior director of HR, selected primarily due to her expertise and experience in mergers and acquisitions. She reports to the CEO and the president of the newly merged company and has been tasked with leading the integration activities from an HR perspective. The HR director recognizes immediately that, aside from needing to get the new HR organization established, HR service delivery is critical due to increasing cost pressures, a larger global workforce, and increasing internal and external customer expectations. She has met with her new HR team and key business stakeholders to obtain valuable feedback and proposals. Given the organizational focus, how should the HR director best proceed with the design of the new HR structure?

She should work with her team to identify the specific cultural, people, and communication issues inherent to a merger. Working with her team to identify the specific cultural, people, and communication issues inherent to a merger builds the needed foundation for infrastructure

Which structural characteristic should an HR director consider in a company where the manufacturing division has grown in workers by 20% over the last two quarters but productivity has grown by only 10%?

Span of control Spans of control that are too large can slow organizational productivity, making it difficult for supervisors to make needed decisions quickly and efficiently. Chain of command refers to the line of authority. Layers of hierarchy refers to the ratio of direct to indirect employees, and decision-making authority refers to how decisions are made in the organization and levels of authority.

A manager wants to implement a new program for employees to participate in work decisions. What is the best facet of employee engagement that the manager should focus on to achieve this goal?

State engagement State engagement is influenced by workplace conditions or practices (e.g., task variety, opportunities to participate in work decisions) that can be improved through organizational interventions directly under management's control.

In order to help employees better understand risk, companies identify and define risk broadly, being sure to communicate the definition. Which are the primary categories of risk used in the COSO Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework? Answers

Strategic, financial, operational, compliance The categories of risk used in the COSO ERM framework are strategic, financial, operational, and compliance.

What is the implication for global HR of a downstream strategy?

Strategies must include agreements with local workforce groups. Downstream strategies allow for decision making at a local level rather than at headquarters.

Which type of barriers to risk management would you find in an organization?

Structural, cognitive, cultural The primary barriers are structural, cognitive, and cultural. Organizations are generally structured in a silo fashion and respond operationally rather than strategically. Breaking through cognitive barriers requires imagination and openness to change. Cultural barriers involve what types of mindsets are sought and rewarded.

A company operates in a very cost-focused environment, keeping its customers in the forefront of every decision they make. A recent merger has doubled the company size and expanded the product offerings to better serve customers. Each of the merged organizations had a significantly different approach to HR's service delivery. However, despite these and a number of other differences, the merger went ahead. The merged company recently hired a new senior director of HR, selected primarily due to her expertise and experience in mergers and acquisitions. She reports to the CEO and the president of the newly merged company and has been tasked with leading the integration activities from an HR perspective. The HR director recognizes immediately that, aside from needing to get the new HR organization established, HR service delivery is critical due to increasing cost pressures, a larger global workforce, and increasing internal and external customer expectations. She has met with her new HR team and key business stakeholders to obtain valuable feedback and proposals. Which is the best approach for the HR director to use to incorporate the lessons learned from her experience into the integration efforts at the company?

Take time to understand the company's needs and determine if her experience is applicable. Taking the time to understand the company's needs will help the HR director to determine if her previous experience is applicable

The president of a global automotive business headquartered in the U.S. is conducting annual global all-employee meetings. The president travels with the executive staff, which includes the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief HR officer (CHRO), and the chief technology officer (CTO), to all the factories around the world to deliver key messages to the employees. The employees gather in large meeting rooms for the presentations, which focus mainly on successes from the past year and priorities for the new year, followed by a question-and-answer session. The president delivers most of the presentation, the CHRO presents on employee engagement and development initiatives, the CFO presents on the financials, and the others participate in the question-and-answer session. Within a two-week period, they travel to meetings in China, Malaysia, Ireland, and several large U.S. sites. In addition to the presentations at each site, they take facility tours and have one-on-one meetings with front-line employees of their functional organizations and with key talent while they are on site. It is a rigorous schedule, but it is very important to the president, who is committed to building a strong global team and organization. While on the trip, the CHRO notices that the CTO consumes three to four alcoholic drinks every evening when they all go to dinner. By the middle of the first week, the CTO oversleeps and keeps everyone waiting in the morning and then nods off during the all-employee meeting in Ireland. Which is the best action for the CHRO to take regarding this situation?

Talk with the CTO privately about the impact of the behavior, express concern, and be open to discussing the employee assistance program.

What is a good end result that should be worked toward while forming a new team or partnership?

Team members feel accountable not just to the leader but to other team members. High-functioning team members should feel accountable to not just the leader but to each other.

What should an international organization specifically consider when choosing instructors to execute organizational training across all organizational areas?

The ability to appeal to all groups and offend none. While credibility, comfortability with technology, and consulting skills are all important when selecting an instructor, with the organization being international in scope and hoping the instructor will be able to train across all areas necessitates that the instructor be skilled at approaching the group in a manner that will appeal to all groups while offending none.

Which best describes the impact of an organization having both a code of conduct and a compliance program?

The compliance program ensures understanding and adherence to the code of conduct. Key to good governance are developing organizational standards for behavior, communicating principles and standards throughout the organization, and training managers and employees in how to apply these standards to common work-related situations. The foundation for this is the code of conduct, which forms the basis of the organization's specific policies and procedures regarding compliance and ethical issues. The compliance program, in turn, proactively ensures that all members of the organization understand and adhere to the code of conduct and are able to apply it to new situations and issues as they arise.

To develop its corporate social responsibility strategy, a global corporation is reviewing existing international principles and guidelines. They find that, while the OECD Guidelines and ISO 26000 are in general agreement on most issues, there are some significant differences. Which set of guidelines should the organization follow?

The organization should adapt from OECD and ISO 26000 those elements that seem most consistent with their own strategic goals and values. The frameworks and guidance offered by the OECD and ISO serve as an excellent starting point for organizational principles and guidelines. However, organizations must tailor them as appropriate in consideration of their own unique requirements and metrics for their industry and local environment.

Why is it important to have job descriptions that are well-written, accurate, and current?

They can provide a basis for job-related performance standards. job descriptions provide written definitions of jobs for employees. They establish standards that help to assess employee performance, specifying how the incumbent performing a job will be evaluated against goals, objectives, and organizational performance factors.

A firm manufactures glass used in commercial building projects. Their advantage lies in the variety of their offerings and the technologies they use. However, other firms can take business from them by offering similar products with different technologies. Which of Porter's "Five Forces" does this illustrate?

Threat of substitution Threat of substitution occurs when customers' needs can be fulfilled equally by different products/services. If the threat of substitution is high, organizations may be forced to compete on the basis of price; their products become commodities. When the threat of entry is high, there are few barriers to competitors entering a market; competition increases. Suppliers have bargaining power when there are few providers of the required resource; organizations may need to pay the price suppliers demand. Bargaining power shifts to buyers when the resources an organization needs are relatively common; competition among suppliers increases and the organization's costs decline.

A global organization headquartered in the U.S., known for its fair and equitable culture, has grown organically over time, and the configuration of the South American business has been established country by country. Each country has been viewed as a discrete business entity. A strategic decision has been made to grow the South American business through acquisition, with a goal of increasing the size of the organizational footprint across the region. To prepare for the acquisition, the organization reviews all the country-specific HR policies, practices, and programs. In the course of the review, HR identifies a significant disparity in the compensation structure for the CEO of the Brazilian business, who is the only female. The portfolio and bottom-line business responsibilities are similar country to country. The education and background of the five CEOs from the region are also very similar. There have been compensation adjustments along the way in acknowledgment of the growth of the business and to align with the markets in Brazil as well as in recognition of the female CEO's performance. However, looking across the South American countries involved, HR clearly sees a disparity. Right now this CEO is part of the team looking at possible organizations to acquire and has high visibility across the region. HR recognizes that Brazil is one of the global economic focus areas and that this CEO is perceived by the global heads of the business as not only key to the acquisition strategy but to the ongoing success of the entire business. How should HR implement the organizational changes needed and reduce resistance from South American business heads?

Use a collaborative approach supported with encouragement, communication, and training applied consistently in the region. Conditions that make change possible include a shared purpose, strong reinforcement systems, skills development, and consistency in approach.

Which action should HR recommend an organization take as part of due diligence in the outsourcing process?

Weigh the cost savings against the risk factors. Identifying potential risks and analyzing the costs of the occurrence of those risks are two parts of the due diligence process.

Once an organization determines that it needs to invest in an HRIS, which is the next decision that needs to be made?

Whether to build, customize, or outsource development The organization must determine whether to build or customize the HRIS or to outsource its development.

A company operates in a very cost-focused environment, keeping its customers in the forefront of every decision they make. A recent merger has doubled the company size and expanded the product offerings to better serve customers. Each of the merged organizations had a significantly different approach to HR's service delivery. However, despite these and a number of other differences, the merger went ahead. The merged company recently hired a new senior director of HR, selected primarily due to her expertise and experience in mergers and acquisitions. She reports to the CEO and the president of the newly merged company and has been tasked with leading the integration activities from an HR perspective. The HR director recognizes immediately that, aside from needing to get the new HR organization established, HR service delivery is critical due to increasing cost pressures, a larger global workforce, and increasing internal and external customer expectations. She has met with her new HR team and key business stakeholders to obtain valuable feedback and proposals. How should the HR director create an HR structure that fits the needs of the organization's structure?

Work with organizational leaders to determine the type and level of support that is expected of the HR team. HR needs to work with organizational leaders to determine what is expected of the HR team and to understand the role HR plays in how the organization creates value.

A company operates in a very cost-focused environment, keeping its customers in the forefront of every decision they make. A recent merger has doubled the company size and expanded the product offerings to better serve customers. Each of the merged organizations had a significantly different approach to HR's service delivery. However, despite these and a number of other differences, the merger went ahead. The merged company recently hired a new senior director of HR, selected primarily due to her expertise and experience in mergers and acquisitions. She reports to the CEO and the president of the newly merged company and has been tasked with leading the integration activities from an HR perspective. The HR director recognizes immediately that, aside from needing to get the new HR organization established, HR service delivery is critical due to increasing cost pressures, a larger global workforce, and increasing internal and external customer expectations. She has met with her new HR team and key business stakeholders to obtain valuable feedback and proposals. How can the HR director demonstrate HR's strategic value in the integration activities?

identify ways of protecting core business functions while capturing synergies between the two organizations. The HR director should identify ways of protecting core business functions while capturing synergies between the organizations that provide the best enterprise-wide value.

After an organization with low power distance acquires an organization with high power distance, HR is tasked with completing a workforce management plan. What is the global HR professional likely to discover?

skill deficiencies may not be discussed candidly by managers at the acquired company. In an organization with a high power distance culture, employees are conscious of power structures. Managers may be reluctant to discuss their skill deficiencies for fear of losing respect and power. individuals may be reluctant to share skill deficiencies for fear of losing respect. Employees are unlikely to challenge performance evaluations or participate in focus groups. While individuals expect to be consulted in low power distance societies, those in high power distance cultures would prefer to simply be told what to do.