Scientific Management Theory
Hilda often finds opportunities to learn new technologies and integrate them into her management style and encourages evolution of her company's business model. What type of organization does Hilda run?
Learning -- Correct
Your organization's strategic plan has just been finalized and you're briefing your HR staff on what it means for the department. Which of the following options best summarizes the implications?
We will be evaluating current policies, programs and procedures relative to the strategic plan and will develop and communicate a plan to support implementation.
A company that provides a product to a niche market at a differentiated price point operates under what basic company strategy?
Differentiation Focus -- Correct
A company that provides a product to a niche market at a differentiated price point operates under what basic company strategy?
Differentiation Focus.
Lorina, a manager, is assigning personnel to tasks. She chooses who does what job based on each person's skill set, level of efficiency in that task, and production numbers. Which of Fayol's management principles is Lorina enacting?
Division of Work.
Stanley takes great notes. Philomena balances ledgers very well. On a group project, their manager appoints Stanley as scribe and Philomena as treasurer. What management principle is the manager enacting?
Division of Work.
LouAnn, an HR manager, schedules employees for continued education seminars and professional development workshops. What HR key initiative is LouAnn supporting?
attracting, retaining & developing critical talent
Strategy formulation involves
converting the inputs from the strategic analysis stage into a business plan.
An organization pursuing a cost focus strategy
seek to become the lowest cost producer in the market segment(s) it is targeting
Considering Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which of these needs, if not met, is LEAST likely to result in depression, downtime, and loss of motivation?
self-actualization-- Correct
Which of the following statements is NOT true, regarding the Gilbreths' contributions to scientific management?
Their film studies identified dangerous working conditions and mitigation plans.
What was Taylor's proposed solution to the search for more competent workers?
To provide systematic management
What was Taylor's proposed solution to the search for more competent workers?
To provide systematic measurement
A shoe company that prides itself on providing comfortable high fashion footwear would be most likely to praise which of these employees?
Correct - Ron, who designed a beautiful new peep-toe sneaker
Personnel Management's planning guide identifies the following essential elements:
-A clearly understood strategic direction -Customer and stakeholder human capital management outcomes/goals -Strategies/objectives for accomplishing the goals -An implementation plan -A communication/change management plan, if needed -An accountability system
Which of the following best describes Scientific Management
A Focus on Man as Machine, Specifically, finding the "one best way" to increase productivity.
Key HR initiatives in support of organizational strategy include
Attracting, Retaining & Developing Critical Talent -Recruiting and selecting scarce talent with critical skills -Developing the required capabilities in the current talent -Addressing the needs/interests of multigenerational workforce Building high performance work organizations -Establishing accountability for achieving business results -Aligning reward systems with changing priorities -Building values and principles to sustain long-term growth Aligning people with the business -Involving employees in the business planning process -Building more effective communications and coaching systems -Focusing efforts on growth, market share, new markets, and customer retention
Which of the following points best differentiates behavioral management from other classical management theories
Behavioral Management focuses on improving productivity by understanding worker needs and motivations.
The second step in the strategy formulation, where the inputs from the strategic analysis start are used to:
Develop a competitive strategy.
Which of the following best summarizes Henry Fayol's contribution to management theory?
Fayol's primary contribution to management theory was his identification of the 5 management duties or functions.
The topic for your next staff briefing is human resource planning—specifically, human capital planning. Which of the following options best communicates what the process involves?
Human Capital Planning involves developing a 3-5 year plan for human capital policies, programs and practices.
What role does the Human Resources department play in an organization's strategic planning process?
Human Resources provides human capital insight to support strategic analysis and develops human resources strategies and objectives to support implementation.
Which of these disciplines, addressed in Senge's book, The Fifth Discipline, can be summarized as appreciating the interconnectedness of all organizational aspects.
Incorrect--- Shared Vision--
Which of these needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs is NOT considered a deficiency need?
Inner fulfillment
A shoe company with a differentiation focus strategy is most likely to reward which of the following employee accomplishments?
Innovative Design.
The first step in the strategy planning process, the elements that are factored into strategic analysis are:
Mission, values, Culture and situational analysis
Given the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) model, a new farming technology would most likely represent a(n) _____for a large producer?
Opportunity
Henry Fayol's original management principles include all of the following EXCEPT:
Staffing and Motivation
Which of these management principles was NOT one of the 14 principles of management Fayol proposed?
Staffing and Motivation.
Which of the following is NOT a required entry in an operational level implementation plan?
Step by Step detailed Plan
What should human capital objectives be closely aligned with?
Strategic Goals.
Which of these is NOT one of the primary goals of a learning system?
To Establish a Set of Procedures to use in perpetuity.
HR will need to be embedded in the process of a company's market strategy overhaul. The HR manager can expect to encounter all of the following problems or processes EXCEPT?
Workers might have to take a pay cut.
Question A company just performed an "overhaul" on its whole market strategy. This change will carry all of the following implications for HR, EXCEPT?
Workers will have to take a paycut.
Wesley, a manager, is matching workers to tasks based on scientific management theory. How will he make tasking decisions?
assign workers to tasks for which they are capable and motivated
Developing the required capabilities in the current talent is included with which of HR's key initiatives supporting organizational strategy?
attracting, retaining & developing critical talent
Mary Parker Follet described organizational conflict as an important dynamic of the workplace, characterizing genuine power in what manner?
coactive or participative
Shawna, an HR manager, knows her workplace has several employees poised to retire in the next few years. What can she do now to prepare for this eventuality?
consult and revise her human capital roadmap
This model holds that there are two potential sources of competitive advantage
cost (price) or differentiation
Developing a strategic direction requires
detailed understanding of the organization's strategic plan and objectives, budgetary constraints, current workforce characteristics, key senior management and stakeholder perceptions regarding human resource challenges and requirements and internal and external factors driving human capital need
differentiation focus strategy involves
differentiation based on the specific requirements of consumers in that market segment(s)—think Harley-Davidson motorcycles or Lululemon athletic clothes
Aja is brainstorming ideas with her HR manager, striving to make her workforce the most effective team she possibly can. Which of these ideas is Aja's HR manager LEAST likely to agree with?
establishing a fixed rate for employee raises-Correct
Quantitative Management
focused on data-driven decision making
What should implementation plans include at an operational level?
specific actions required, who is responsible, required resources, completion timeframe
Ysela's company is focused on selling one-of-a-kind artisanal chairs at a premium price. What is the best way to characterize Ysela's basic company strategy?
· differentiation focus
Which of these statements is NOT one of the objectives of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis?
Eliminating Risk Factor
Which term is defined as "the ability to mesh strategy with reality, align people with goals, and achieve promised results"?
Execution
behavioral management focuses on worker behavior and motivations
behavioral management theory is concerned with how to manage productivity by understanding worker motivation, including expectations, needs and interests, and group dynamics. sometimes referred to as the human relations movement
Taylor's 4 Management Principles
1. Apply the scientific method to analyze work and determine the most efficient way to perform every task.... 2. Match workers to jobs based on their capability and motivation and train them to work at maximum efficiency. 3. Provide instruction and supervision to ensure that the "best" method is being used to complete each task.. 4. Divide work between managers and workers, with managers focusing on planning and training and workers focusing on production.
Fayol's Principles of Management
1. Division of Work 2. Authority- Managers must be able to give orders. 3. Discipline 4. Unity of Command 5. Unity of Direction 6. Subordination of Individual Interests to the General Interest, (the interests of one employee should not be allowed to become more important that those of the group.) 7. Remuneration 8. Centralization 9. Schalar Chain 10. Order 11. Equity 12. Stability of Tenure of Personnel 13. Initiative 14. Espirit de Corps
Which of these tasks stands the best chance of success in aligning personnel with goals to achieve a desired outcome or result?
Correct -- Rhoda's ice cream shop values customer service, and she provides on-the-job training in addition to training videos.
Randy produces rubber gaskets for model airplane engines, and his strategy focuses on being the lowest cost provider for this market. What competitive strategy is Randy employing?
Cost focus
Follett's theory of management included the following principles
Genuine power is not "coercive" (power over) but coactive (power with) True leaders create group power rather than expressing personal power
Which of the following modern management theories best prepares both organization and individual to thrive in dynamic, disruptive times?
Learning Organization
the acronym "SWOT" stands for
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
From a human resource management standpoint,
the key to successful implementation is alignment: aligning culture with an organization's mission and values; reviewing and redefining, as necessary, job descriptions; selecting employees who have the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) as well as the mindset to drive the desired results and ensuring that structures, policies and systems (for example, compensation and incentive systems) reinforce desired behavior and performance.
