People - Multiple Choice
An organization is faced with the challenge of offering robust benefits to retain top talent while staying within budget or cost constraints. Why is a benefit needs assessment a valuable undertaking? A) A benefits package can have a positive impact on attracting, motivating, & retaining talent. B) A benefit needs assessment would determine employee willingness to pay an increasing portion of the plan coverage. C) Data collected helps the organization address employee financial or health problems impacting productivity. D) Assessment results help align the benefits strategy with the organizational brand.
A) A benefits package can have a positive impact on attracting, motivating, & retaining talent. Assessment data should allow the organization to refine benefit offerings so the package is affordable yet valued by employees.
Which statement best explains how absenteeism is related to employee engagement? A) Absenteeism rates can be an indirect indicator of employee engagement, as employees are not attending work. B) Absenteeism rates are not indicative of engagement levels due to the unreliability of a correlation between absence & engagement. C) Absenteeism rates are not indicative of employee engagement levels, as absences occur for many reasons. D) Unscheduled absenteeism rates are a reflection of a paid-time-off program & not an indicator of employee dissatisfaction.
A) Absenteeism rates can be an indirect indicator of employee engagement, as employees are not attending work. Absenteeism rates, particularly for unscheduled absenteeism, can be an indicator of potential engagement problems. This can reflect employees' desire to not be in the workplace.
Which is a primary advantage of using local training experts to help in designing & developing new programs? A) Activities & delivery can be adjusted to local preferences. B) Translation into local languages will be more accurate. C) Development costs are significantly decreased for the organization. D) Local audiences will have more input into program content.
A) Activities & delivery can be adjusted to local preferences. Countries have different dominant learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) & prefer certain types of learning activities. Using local experts to consult on design & development will help align programs with their audiences.
An organization is looking to fill an IT position that requires the person fulfilling the role to continuously learn & stay up to date with new technological trends & capabilities. Which type of substantive assessment may help the organization determine if a candidate is able to learn & acquire new skills as required? A) Aptitude tests B) Psychomotor tests C) Cognitive ability tests D) Personality tests
A) Aptitude tests Aptitude tests measure the general ability or capacity of an individual to learn or acquire a new skill. This would give the organization the best idea of whether or not the individual would be able to continue to learn new technology as it evolves.
Which tool uses in-basket tests, role plays, & psychological inventories to asses the abilities of a company's leadership team? A) Assessment centers B) Situation judgment tests C) Work samples D) Leader career battery
A) Assessment centers Only assessment centers are integrations of in-basket tests, role plays, & psychological inventories.
How can HR best support the development of the organizational strategy? A) By consulting with function leaders to understand unit-level goals. B) By facilitating the organization's strategy development process. C) By using its broad perspective to define the organization's mission. D) By routinely communicating the HR strategy to all business units.
A) By consulting with function leaders to understand unit-level goals. The HR department best supports the organization's strategy by understanding what the organizational strategy will demand from the organization's functions. In this way, HR can consult with the functional leaders on ways to build the capacities & capabilities they will need to implement their strategic plans. Defining the mission & facilitating strategy development are the responsibility of executive management. Rather than communicating its strategy to other functions, HR needs to communicate how it can support the other functions in meeting their strategic goals.
The HR VP of a global organization has identified an issue with developing & retaining leaders from internal sources, leading to difficulty building continuity within divisions. Each division has international contacts & responsibilities, making it difficult to hire candidates with the requisite skills & abilities from external sources. What is the best way the HR VP can attempt to address this situation? A) Engage in a career management & succession planning process, building new job paths to develop internal leadership candidates. B) Recommend immediate transfers of top-performing candidates from other countries to fill positions at the domestic office. C) Hire a new global recruiting firm to better fill leadership positions with talented individuals as positions become available going forward. D) Engage in a compensation study to determine at what pay rate retention issues would cease to impact the organization.
A) Engage in a career management & succession planning process, building new job paths to develop internal leadership candidates. Using job descriptions to develop a career path that engages, promotes, rewards, & teaches young leaders in the organization is the most proactive approach to ensure that the organization has an easier time filling leadership positions going forward. This may involve creating postings in foreign countries for these individuals, so that they understand the cultures & requirements that they must meet when handling the international aspects of the positions.
An HR VP is looking to drive the organization to improve as a learning organization. How can the HR VP help create a culture that supports organizational learning? A) Focus on instituting quality & continuous improvement to drive the organization moving forward. B) Create a program to set aside a week per year for all organizational learning to take place, separate from typical work activities. C) Focus on constraining creativity & channeling it toward strongly defined organizational learning goals. D) Reward group learning & minimize individual learning, so that there are not disparate levels of learning among employees.
A) Focus on instituting quality & continuous improvement to drive the organization moving forward. A culture that supports organizational learning will inherently focus on quality & continuous improvement as organizational needs & training methods change over time. Organizational learning should embrace creativity & reward both group & individual learning. Learning should be seen as something that happens concurrently with work activities, not separate from them.
For a variety of reasons, mostly personal, an HR organization has had an unusual degree of turnover in its leadership in the past 3 years. What challenge is the function most likely to encounter in fulfilling its strategic plan? A) Inconsistent decision making B) Loss of core competencies in the function C) More frequent lapses in the staff's ethical behavior D) Increased resistance to change
A) Inconsistent decision making Of the possible answers, inconsistent decision making is the most likely, since each new leader may interpret priorities differently. The change in leadership may deter the improvement of core competencies but should not cause staff to become less competent. The HR team will not be able to use trust in their leader to help overcome resistance, but the level of resistance depends on many other factors. The staff's ethical behavior has also been shaped by many factors other than leadership, many of those factors personal. There is no reason to expect a sudden shift in this behavior across the entire staff.
What is the impact of internal pay equity on an organization? A) It allows organizations to fairly compensate unique jobs. B) It lowers the amount the organization spends on salaries. C) It ensures that all employees have the same benefits. D) It guarantees elimination of gender bias across all divisions.
A) It allows organizations to fairly compensate unique jobs. Internal equity means that unique jobs are fairly compensated, as performance or job differences result in corresponding differences in pay rates.
The director of HR has created a training program that allows learners to participate in a live crisis management simulation. Which adult learning style does this support? A) Kinesthetic B) Auditory C) Visual D) Gustatory
A) Kinesthetic Participation in a live simulation provides the hands-on approach that is preferred by kinesthetic learners. Auditory learners prefer hearing or reading information about the crisis, & visual learners would be best suited to seeing pictures or observing a video of the crisis. Gustatory perception or learning occurs through the sense of taste & is not related to this example.
Which type of organization would benefit most from broadbanding? A) Large organizations that want to consolidate multiple layers of management B) Small organizations with a minimal # of job positions C) Organizations that want to maintain tighter control over salary growth D) Organizations with specialist jobs that are rare in the market
A) Large organizations that want to consolidate multiple layers of management Broadbanding combines 2 or more salary grades to create larger ranges & gives people wide latitude to move within their jobs without outgrowing the pay scale. Broadbanding is most effective for large organizations that want to flatten their organizational structure & remove some of the levels of management. It is not appropriate for controlling salary costs, as the salary ranges may become too broad & salary costs could escalate. Companies with relatively few positions are better off with a more traditional pay structure.
What is the likely harm of imposing an application document submission length for a tenured professor position at a public university? A) Loss of relevant information from a curriculum vitae. B) Inability to submit references with a resume. C) Inability to submit a cover letter with a resume. D) No harm; application documents should always be as brief as possible.
A) Loss of relevant information from a curriculum vitae. Certain positions, such as a professor, are better served by a curriculum vitae (CV) than a resume with references or a cover letter. CVs offer a detailed overview of a candidate's accomplishments, which better lends itself to cataloging the various teaching & research projects that a tenured professor would typically be involved in. By limiting the document length, information highly relevant to the position may be omitted.
An organization has always posted jobs internally before advertising them externally. However, managers are frustrated by the time it takes to fill open jobs. To what problem within the organization does this point? A) Managers do not understand the benefits of providing a fair & equitable system of job posting, promotions, & lateral moves. B) Managers may not trust HR to find the best employees. C) The organization may have a bad reputation in the marketplace. D) The organization may have low-skilled employees.
A) Managers do not understand the benefits of providing a fair & equitable system of job posting, promotions, & lateral moves. HR managers need to explain how the disadvantage of a slow hiring process is offset by having a fair & equitable system. Managers & HR should work together to find ways to speed up the hiring process.
Which is an essential reason for evaluation of strategic results? A) Measurement of results is a matter of good corporate governance. B) Key performance indicators used in setting objectives must be validated. C) Discrepancies between planned strategies & outcomes must be identified. D) Business data collected for analysis must be determined to be valid & reliable.
A) Measurement of results is a matter of good corporate governance. The fact that measurement of results is a matter of good corporate governance is 1 of 3 reasons for evaluating strategic results.
Which option is an example of what leaders should do to establish a culture that fosters career development? A) Place value on & reward managers & supervisors who help employees with career planning. B) Incentivize hiring from internal sources regardless of whether internal candidates are the most qualified for the job. C) View career development as an aspect of employee engagement & retention & fund it accordingly. D) Publicize their own individual development plan to show employees how important career development is.
A) Place value on & reward managers & supervisors who help employees with career planning. By placing value on & rewarding managers who help employees with career planning, leaders can help encourage a positive outlook & create importance around career development. While career development can assist with retention, it is a separate aspect of the business & should be treated separately. Hiring solely from internal sources, regardless of qualifications, may damage organizational performance. Leaders' own individual development plans wouldn't necessarily illustrate the importance of regular employees creating one & may contain personal or confidential information unfit for sharing with the larger audience.
Which approach to effectively sourcing a diverse pool of applicants should be used by a company with an aging workforce? A) Proactively using multiple tactics simultaneously with shorter response time. B) Preparing a RFP and sending it to search firms. C) Creating an employee referral program. D) Developing a publicity campaign emphasizing the employer brand.
A) Proactively using multiple tactics simultaneously with shorter response time. No one approach will result in the goal of a more diverse & balanced workforce. Multiple tactics should be used.
An organization in the U.S. is having trouble staffing its international department successfully, & this is causing revenue growth to fall below expectations. The HR VP wants to look into bringing in an expatriate from a country containing a key market that the organization wants to focus on to drive growth. What must the organization do before hiring an expatriate for the role? A) Prove that all local employees cannot perform the key duties & responsibilities required by the job description. B) Engage in a compensation study to ensure that the salary range for the position is globally competitive. C) Hire a translation firm to translate the job description into the language of the target market in order to attract applicants. D) Hire a recruiting firm with global reach & a record of successful candidate sourcing from the target market.
A) Prove that all local employees cannot perform the key duties & responsibilities required by the job description. In order to hire an expatriate for a position in the U.S., an organization must show that the position has a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ) proving that all local employees cannot perform the key duties & responsibilities required by the job description. This is a requirement prior to legally & permissibly hiring a foreigner for a job in the U.S.
A company announces that it intends to capture another 20% of market share by opening 10 more stores within 3 years in key locations. What is being communicated? A) Strategic objective B) Organizational vision C) External opportunity D) Mission statement
A) Strategic objective A strategic objective outlines specific, time-based results that an organization seeks to achieve in pursuing its strategy.
Which type of learning program would best suit an organization where employees at all levels expect to be able to access training anywhere & anytime, across varied formats? A) 70-20-10 model B) "Pull" learning model C) "Push" learning model D) Developmental activities model
B) "Pull" learning model A "pull" training model allows employees to access training anywhere & may feature content in various formats, accessible from work computers, personal computers, & mobile devices. A "push" training model is more rigid and works well for required training, such as compliance training, but wouldn't be broadly suitable for the organization. The 70-20-10 model refers to manager development, & although it may be applied to employees generally, it features a relatively small % of learning that is accessible on demand (10% coursework & training compared to 70% challenging assignments & 20% developmental relationships). Developmental activities have a long-term focus on preparing for future responsibilities, but the term does do not refer to the method by which employees access or consume the materials.
To maximize senior leadership support of action to be taken on the results of a recent climate survey, which is the most important message for the HR manager to deliver? A) Recommend not engaging in surveys going forward, as how to engage employees is typically known within organizations. B) Advise leadership to acknowledge strengths & weaknesses in practices & identify priority areas to focus on. C) Share only information that the leadership is committed to addressing. D) Compare the organization's scores to those of other organizations to identify if a problem really exists.
B) Advise leadership to acknowledge strengths & weaknesses in practices & identify priority areas to focus on. Employers that acknowledge findings, whether good or bad & short-term or long-term, find that trust increases due to transparency.
Which appraisal method describes examples of desirable & undesirable behavior? A) Comparative methods B) Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) C) Management by objectives (MBO) D) Category rating methods
B) Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) BARS describes examples of desirable & undesirable behavior to overcome the problems associated with category rating.
How can an organization with a global presence ensure that it selects the best job candidates? A) By using job-or language-specific ability tests. B) By using multiple tools that include a cultural assessment component. C) By using rigorous screening process so that only highly qualified candidates are assessed. D) By using contingent assessment methods.
B) By using multiple tools that include a cultural assessment component. No single method should be used, &, with a global organizational aspect, it is necessary to assess a candidate's cross-cultural orientation.
Which formal employment branding tactic should HR suggest to enhance the employee value proposition at a technology services company without a corporate social responsibility program? A) Review company materials for consistent messaging. B) Communicate the brand through social media & community involvement. C) Conduct labor market research to determine community perception. D) Pursue government safety & environment awards.
B) Communicate the brand through social media & community involvement. Many generations of tech-savvy employees rely on social media for information on employers, & they then form opinions about working for a firm.
Which is the best results-based comparative analysis for a company that has implemented an engagement strategy & action plan for reducing accidents on the job? A) Compare the monthly turnover rate before & after implementing the engagement action plan. B) Compare the workers' compensation incident rate before & after implementing the engagement action plan. C) Compare the revenue per employee rate before & after implementing the engagement action plan. D) Compare the employee absenteeism rate before & after implementing the engagement action plan.
B) Compare the workers' compensation incident rate before & after implementing the engagement action plan. The specific metric needed to identify a reduction of accidents on the job would be the workers' compensation incident rate.
Before determining the budget for a strategic HR initiative, which action would an HR project manager 1st complete? A) Confirming support from senior leadership & sponsors to fund the initiative. B) Comparing historical budget data to the needs of the strategic venture. C) Completing a critical path analysis to identify the funding deadline. D) Deciding if the venture will be funded by the operations or strategic budget.
B) Comparing historical budget data to the needs of the strategic venture. Comparing historical budget amounts & the nature & scope of the activities that were funded to what is needed for the strategic initiative is the 1st thing an HR project manager would do prior to defining the budget for the strategic initiative.
For the first time in its history, a small, privately held consulting company decides to create & implement a strategic plan. During the process, the team disagrees over whether the organization should add a new division responsible for providing HR services, in addition to its core accounting services, to its clients. Which action should the leadership take to resolve this disagreement? A) Complete a benchmarking study of the company's competitors. B) Conduct internal & external research to assess needs. C) Have all employees vote, with the majority making the choice. D) Have the president make a unilateral decision.
B) Conduct internal & external research to assess needs. Strategic planning often cannot be completed in 1 session. New ideas that are proposed, particularly those that require a substantial commitment of resources, require more research. In this case, more external & internal research is required. Benchmarking may eventually be used to ensure that the company's services are competitive, but this will follow internal & external research.
A new HR director is reviewing retention rates & is concerned that the employee engagement plan that was implemented a 1 ago is ineffective. Which indicator should the director look to when beginning to assess if the employee engagement plan is working? A) Total costs associated with employee turnover B) Current turnover rate compared to previous years C) Turnover rate compared to the industry average D) Turnover rate during the past 12 months
B) Current turnover rate compared to previous years When evaluating the effectiveness of a new employee engagement plan, the most valuable indicator to look at is how the turnover rate has changed since the plan was implemented. If the rate has improved, it might indicate that the plan is effective.
What are 3 characteristics of formal mentoring that distinguish it from informal mentoring? A) Unlimited employee access to the program, mix of individual & large-group sessions, unspecified outcomes B) Deliberate pairing of mentors & mentees, established goals, expert training & support C) Connection to organizational strategies, self-selection of mentors & mentees, long-term engagements D) Self-selection of mentors & mentees, unspecified goals, no training & support
B) Deliberate pairing of mentors & mentees, established goals, expert training & support Formal mentoring includes strategic selection & matching of mentors & mentees, goal setting with measurable objectives, & support for participants.
What is needed to have a fully effective performance management system? A) The system encourages users to input information in their own words so proper analysis can occur. B) Employees are educated about the system & know how to get value from it. C) The system prevents one-off entries so data comparisons are more valid. D) Managers who implement the system are ordered to do so by senior leaders.
B) Employees are educated about the system & know how to get value from it. In order for a performance management system to be fully effective, employees must know how to use the system & how to get the most value from it. Managers who implement it must accept the system's value, not simply be marching on orders from senior leadership. The system can use different methods to gather & analyze data; there is not a single right way to complete that task.
An organization is struggling to create & implement a strategic management plan. While multiple divisions have been involved in the creation of the plan from the start, factionalism has lead to infighting over how major portions of the plan will benefit certain divisions. What should HR ensure is being done during the planning process to correct this situation & ensure that the plan is successfully created & implemented? A) Focus on core competencies when creating the plan. B) Ensure that the efforts of all divisions are properly aligned. C) Control the conversation to avoid strategic drift. D) Avoid taking shortcuts in analyzing how options benefits various divisions.
B) Ensure that the efforts of all divisions are properly aligned. It is crucial that everyone is aligned in their efforts & works to ensure that departmental goals are aligned with the overarching organizational goal. Divisions should not be concerned about securing specific benefits for themselves during the strategic planning process. Instead they should ensure that their divisional goals fall in line with the strategic plan & help the organization move toward its goal.
An organization implements an onboarding program to reduce voluntary turnover rates that are significantly higher than benchmarked averages. Which is the best metric HR should use to assess the strategic success of the new onboarding program? A) Questionnaire results on job satisfaction B) Information on the performance of new hires C) Information gathered from exit interviews D) Focus group results about satisfaction with orientation
B) Information on the performance of new hires The performance of new employees is an appropriate strategic metric to measure onboarding success. For example, information on new hires who are not performing up to expectations & whether they have been dealt with appropriately can improve time to productivity & engagement.
An organization is looking to use internal recruiting methods to help forecast which jobs they may be able to easily fill with internal candidates if they open up in the future. Which internal recruiting method would be most helpful? A) Nominations B) Job bidding C) Employee referrals D) Job posting
B) Job bidding Job bidding allows employees to indicate interest in positions.
Which is true regarding communicating the results of a strategic management initiative? A) Allow the data to drive the content of the report & communication. B) Look at communicating as crafting a narrative supported by data. C) Present the data via PowerPoint for enhanced comprehension. D) Present the data via spreadsheets to enable analysis of all data gathered.
B) Look at communicating as crafting a narrative supported by data. Effective communication works to efficiently & effectively make a point. The best strategy is to create a narrative that is supported by the data instead of letting the data drive the content of the report. Avoid overwhelming audiences by presenting excessive amounts of data via spreadsheet or PowerPoint.
A # of new employees have left an organization after less than 6 months. Exit interviews indicate that these employees had trouble understanding the organizational culture despite standard interview processes encouraging the candidates to ask questions about the organization prior to final candidate selection. The organization is looking to improve engagement levels in new employees. Which action would best assist the organization in better informing candidates about the organizational culture prior to being hired? A) Use a recruiting firm to source & screen candidates, ensuring that only candidates that the organization believes will fit culturally are interviewed. B) Move job postings from Internet job boards to a company website featuring descriptions of the organization & testimonials from current employees. C) Move the interview process away from company locations to restaurants to put candidates at ease & encourage them to ask questions honestly. D) Bring candidates in for meet-and-greet happy-hour sessions with high-performing, outgoing employees who will freely discuss their opinions of the company.
B) Move job postings from Internet job boards to a company website featuring descriptions of the organization & testimonials from current employees. The best option is to use the company website to present valuable organizational information to candidates during the application process, allowing candidates to better understand the culture of the organization when applying.
HR works with a committee of managers to identify & assign points to pertinent compensable factors for various jobs. These points are totaled to come up with an overall point value for each job. The relative worth of each job can then be compared to the others based on their point values. This is an example of what type of job evaluation? A) Job-content-based job evaluation B) Point-factor system C) Job classification D) Job ranking
B) Point-factor system The point-factor system is a form of quantitative evaluation. It is the most commonly used method of job evaluation. The compensable factors chosen for the evaluation must reflect the nature of the job being evaluated. Factors commonly evaluated include skills, responsibilities, effort & physical demands, working conditions, & supervision of others.
The HR director of a relatively small organization is looking into the possibility of implementing a dual career ladder in order to enhance the internal mobility of employees. Which disadvantage of dual career ladders should the HR director consider before deciding whether or not to implement the program? A) Low-performing managers being sheltered by the program B) Potential effectiveness of the program due to the organization's size C) Resentment from employees who are not chosen for the program D) Resistance from employees over added management responsibilities
B) Potential effectiveness of the program due to the organization's size While each option may be a drawback that occurs with dual career ladders, the program may be entirely ineffective if the organization is too small or too revenue-restricted to successfully implement it. Resistance, resentment, & sheltering of low-performing managers can all be addressed and mitigated when rolling out the program.
An organization is designing a leader development program. Which would be the most important experience to include? A) Spending a week shadowing someone in a more senior position B) Project assignment that is difficult & has some risk of failure C) Well-defined task to be completed as a solo assignment D) Attending a week-long leadership boot camp
B) Project assignment that is difficult & has some risk of failure According to the Center for Creative Leadership, challenging assignments with a risk of failure are more important to developing leaders than opportunities to develop relationships or attend training. These assignments take the individuals outside their usual competencies & challenge them to develop teamwork & resilience.
Which is a major talent management issue faced by organizations during mergers & acquisitions? A) Underdeveloped local markets B) Retention of key talent C) Use of globally mobile employees D) Regional demographic labor trends
B) Retention of key talent Retaining key talent is a major issue faced by organizations during mergers & acquisitions.
An organization's yield ratio for offers rejected compared to offers extended for qualified applicants increased from 50% in year 1 to 75% in year 2. What recommendation should HR make to improve the selection results for an organization in a growth mode? A) Meet with managers to understand what they believe to be the issues and discuss their concerns. B) Review the employee value proposition along with newly hired attrition data & recent exit interview surveys. C) Discuss the organization's strategic plan with executives to consider acquisitions as a way to grow qualified staff. D) Double the recruiting budget, with an emphasis on increasing applicant flow.
B) Review the employee value proposition along with newly hired attrition data & recent exit interview surveys. It is probable that pay, benefits, & the employment brand suffer from lack of attention & resources.
Employee turnover is on the rise, & management is looking for cost-effective ways to stop this trend by improving employee engagement. Which manager action can make an immediate improvement without affecting the budget? A) Threaten to give poor references to anyone who quits. B) Show gratitude to employees by thanking them. C) Ask employees to refer friends for openings. D) Launch an internal public relations campaign.
B) Show gratitude to employees by thanking them. Showing employees gratitude facilitates employee engagement.
Which type of needs analysis should a training director undertake to identify gaps between actual & desired transactional output in a customer service call center? A) Organization B) Task C) Department D) Individual
B) Task A task-level needs analysis compares job duty & task requirements to employee knowledge & skills to identify areas requiring improvement.
Which is the most likely advantage of starting a greenfield operation? A) The operation can learn local law as it encounters relevant situations. B) The company can start fresh with new technology, workforces, & practices. C) Cultural disconnects will be readily apparent throughout the building process. D) Tensions & challenges with the local workforce are eliminated.
B) The company can start fresh with new technology, workforces, & practices. Greenfield operations require more time & probably more resources but provide more control & strategy.
In the final round of hiring, an employer invites candidates to spend half a day working alongside an employee and an hour with HR reviewing total rewards and company policies. The employees who work with the candidates are chosen because of their tenure with the company & their strong performance ratings. The employees may or may not be performing the job that is being filled. This practice has not increased retention levels. What might be wrong? A) It gives candidates false hopes for career advancement. B) The job preview may not be realistic. C) The plan should be implemented earlier in the hiring process. D) Candidates are receiving too much information at this stage.
B) The job preview may not be realistic. The job preview experience may not be representative of what a new hire would be doing in the first months of employment, since candidates are not necessarily experiencing a typical workday in the position they might be entering. Candidates at this stage should be fully informed about the employer's offerings, culture, & policies. It would be a poor use of resources to implement the process with an entire group of candidates invited for an interview. There is no indication that the information given to candidates about career paths & opportunities is incorrect.
During a strategic planning meeting, the planning team develops its 3-to-5 year objectives. Which is the primary value of setting such objectives? A) Employees will know what values & behaviors the organization expects. B) The objectives provide focus & direction for the organization. C) There is limited value; the time frame is too far out to be practical. D) The mission & vision can be crafted to support those objectives.
B) The objectives provide focus & direction for the organization. Long-term objectives (such as these 3-to- 5-year objectives) provide a focus for the organization & enable corporate, unit, & functional levels of the organization to develop strategies that support those objectives.
Which is the key benefit of defining an organization's values? A) They provide employee success factors. B) They guide employee behavior & decision making. C) They define values & avoid ethical complications. D) The guarantee compliance with employment laws.
B) They guide employee behavior & decision making. An organization's values state what is important to the organization & how employees should conduct themselves.
A CEO prides herself on cutting costs that do not have measurable benefits or a perceived value to the organization's financial success. She is now threatening to cut funding to employee engagement initiatives. Which is the best way for HR to demonstrate return on investment of employee engagement budgets? A) Agree to stop all employee engagement efforts & measure what happens. B) Tie the investments made in employee engagement back to the profitability of the company. C) Ask the CEO to demonstrate how eliminating employee engagement will boost profits. D) Tie the investments made in employee engagement to laying the groundwork for profitability.
B) Tie the investments made in employee engagement back to the profitability of the company. If the CEO's complaint is that employee engagement provides no benefits, HR must be prepared to defend the budget by demonstrating the return on employee engagement $s. There is no specific calculation for measuring engagement, but engaged employees can result in increases in income associated with increased productivity & decreased expenses. Looking at employee absence rates, workers' compensation rates, & voluntary turnover rates (& the associated costs with training new employees to replace departing employees) can also help demonstrate return on investment for employee engagement efforts.
Why should an organization consider a high-performance culture & strategically invest in practices to keep high performers motivated & focused? A) High performers have different needs & expectations than the mainstream workforce. B) Turnover can negatively impact organizational productivity, innovation, & relationships. C) It becomes problematic to find successors in critical roles & positions if an employee exits. D) Succession planning & career development activities are made easier in this type of culture.
B) Turnover can negatively impact organizational productivity, innovation, & relationships. In a high-performing culture, talent is championed from the bottom up. High turnover of top talent would lead to losses in innovation, performance, communication, relationships, etc.
A software development team is creating a new application using an iterative approach, tackling new objectives as they are identified & prioritized by the customer. Which project management approach is being used? A) Critical chain B) Six Sigma C) Agile D) Lean
C) Agile Agile project management is used when the assumptions on which a project is based are unclear or may evolve as project work proceeds. The project focuses on iterations of the deliverables, completing 1 iteration & then using customer input to plan the next.
A company is interested in enhancing organizational knowledge retention while providing an opportunity for "boomerang" employees to reconnect with the company following amicable departures. Which knowledge retention system would best fit the needs of the company? A) Learning management system B) Communities of practice C) Alumni network D) Mentoring
C) Alumni network An alumni network is an example of a softer system that will assist with knowledge retention & provide networking opportunities to keep departed employees engaged with the organization, setting up the potential for the return of those former employees. While both mentoring & communities of practice are also examples of softer systems for organizational knowledge retention, they would not be as effective at generating opportunities & interest for "boomerang" employees to rejoin the organization. Learning management systems are primarily designed to deliver needed training to current employees, which may be distinct from the goal of organizational knowledge retention.
Which is the best metric to emphasize the effectiveness of an organization's total rewards strategy? A) Survey results B) Retention rate C) Return on investment D) Turnover rate
C) Return on investment In practice, there are many possible measures, metrics, & analytics HR can use to analyze the effectiveness of the organization's total rewards. Return on investment is 1 of them. The retention rate measures the retention of particular employees over a specific period of time and complements the turnover rate. The turnover rate shows the % of separations in a certain period of time. Survey results do not show the effectiveness of the organization's total rewards strategy.
How should an HR director start a leader development needs assessment for the organization? A) Develop a list of leader competencies & technical skills needed. B) Conduct competency-based interviews with leaders & note gaps. C) Assess current leaders in relation to organizational strategy & goals. D) Conduct a 360-degree assessment & identify gaps for development.
C) Assess current leaders in relation to organizational strategy & goals. For a needs assessment, the HR professional must start with assessing current leaders in relation to strategic goals & objectives. Competency development is addressed after the initial assessment is completed & used for comparison to determine gaps. 360-degree assessments and interviews are common types of competency assessments that support developing competencies in identified gaps .
The HR director in a rapidly growing start-up needs to secure specific talent for a specialty department with a very short time frame for full productivity. Which type of interviewing will be especially valuable in the selection process? A) Group or panel B) Competency-based C) Behavioral D) Standardized
C) Behavioral Behavioral interviewing is built on the premise that past performance is the best predictor of future performance. With a short time to full productivity, prior experience & success in the field will be critical for the success of the individual.
What is the best way to create an effective onboarding & assimilation process? A) By asking the CEO to personally address the new employees on their 1st day. B) By using an informal program over several days to cover all required information. C) By ensuring that new hires understand expectations, are connected with coworkers, & receive feedback. D) By providing new employees with a handbook to study on their 1st day.
C) By ensuring that new hires understand expectations, are connected with coworkers, & receive feedback. A formal process does the most to ensure that new employees are effectively engaged with their department managers & coworkers.
A manager asks the HR manager to help with retaining a high-potential employee. Which of the following recommendations would best address this request? A) Recommend a spot bonus for a particular project to reinforce behavior. B) Identify training opportunities the employee is interested in and provide those. C) Conduct a stay interview with the employee to identify job satisfiers & dissatisfiers that can be addressed. D) Review previous exit interview data to determine what has led to turnover in the past.
C) Conduct a stay interview with the employee to identify job satisfiers & dissatisfiers that can be addressed. Stay interviews allow a manager to identify what drives engagement & retention with an employee. They are often conducted with high-potential employees. Stay interviews are different from exit interviews, which gather data following a departure. Stay interviews are considered a leading indicator of engagement & satisfaction, while exit interviews are considered a lagging indicator.
An organization recently revised its strategic plan to enter a new vertical market. What is the most important thing the training department can do to support the initiative? A) Identify the cost of training associated with the new strategy. B) Recruit salespeople with experience in the new vertical market. C) Determine how training can align with & support the strategy. D) Monitor the effects of the change on the workforce.
C) Determine how training can align with & support the strategy. The most important task is to link the training to the needs of the organization's strategy. For example, the training department might need to develop a program that compares its products to those of the competition or that focuses on ways to build the new vertical market.
Leaders of a new high tech organization are seeking HR's expertise in retaining their highly skilled workforce, especially as the organization expands. When should HR start the employee retention strategies & practices? A) Once candidates' background & reference checks are complete B) During the interview process through a realistic job preview C) During the organization's branding & recruitment efforts D) After review & signed acknowledgment of receipt of the employee handbook
C) During the organization's branding & recruitment efforts Retention strategies & practices start with the organization's branding & recruitment efforts & continue on through the employment experience.
Which is the best example of a core competency that an organization could focus on when creating a strategic plan? A) Ethnically diverse workforce hailing from across the country. B) Pair of instructional designers who do an excellent job of keeping work fun for coworkers. C) Expansive organizational knowledge of cutting-edge software development tools. D) Web development director who is passionate about social causes & outreach initiatives.
C) Expansive organizational knowledge of cutting-edge software development tools. When looking at strategic planning, a core competency is a unique advantage that an organization possesses that is difficult for competitors to imitate. The best example of this is expansive organizational knowledge of cutting-edge software development tools, which could be leveraged in many different ways & is difficult & time-consuming to build from scratch if it is not already present in an organization.
Corporate leadership has requested that HR develop an employee engagement strategy for a newly acquired division, and HR follows the model for strategic planning. Which phase in strategic planning will focus on gathering information to create this strategy? A) Development B) Implementation C) Formulation D) Evaluation
C) Formulation The 1st phase in the strategic planning process is strategy formulation, which is followed by strategy development. The other choices are the 3rd and 4th phases in strategic planning.
An HR manager receives complaints from other functions that an HR subordinate often ignores or delays replying to e-mails or phone messages. The individual performs other duties very well. How should the HR manager handle this situation most effectively? A) Wait until the performance review to discuss this in the context of overall performance. B) Ask the subordinate to lunch & mention the issue in a non-threatening way. C) Immediately share the complaints & expectations, & then monitor performance. D) Encourage other departments to send their requests to the manager directly.
C) Immediately share the complaints & expectations, & then monitor performance. The HR manager should immediately explain to the individual the disconnect between poor communication & the organization's core values. The importance of the issue merits a prompt response rather than avoidance & a more formal discussion rather than a casual mention over lunch. 1 of the benefits of addressing the issue now is that it can be revisited during the regular performance review to assess the employee's improvement in this area.
A manager wants to implement a paid-time-off program for employees to volunteer in their local communities. What is the best way to respond to his request? A) Implement programs allowing employees to use work time to volunteer in local communities. B) Explain that this will cause resistance from employees who choose not to volunteer. C) Initiate a joint management-employee committee to develop a policy for this type of program. D) Advise the manager to implement the idea in his own unit, using his discretion.
C) Initiate a joint management-employee committee to develop a policy for this type of program. The concept is good. The more employees are integrated into their organization & the local community, the greater the commitment to the organization. However, the concept needs to be explored further & a clear policy developed by a group that represents various perspectives. Implementing the idea without this examination, consensus, & definition will lead to inconsistencies & complaints.
To recruit talent for a new venture in a small developing country, organizational executives suggest that HR use market pricing instead of job-content-based evaluation. Which is a potential disadvantage in this compensation strategy? A) More assignees will need to be localized faster. B) Market pay fluctuations will create significant tax implications. C) Internal positions may not match market data. D) Assignees will want larger allowances in the new location.
C) Internal positions may not match market data. Market pricing is a process that companies use to determine the market rates for a particular position. Substituting market pricing for job valuation can be problematic in this situation. For example, some positions will not be matched with market data & some of the market rates found will not match up well with expected internal relationships.
An organization has been analyzing annual employee surveys to understand how to better retain workers given career development trends showing that more & more employees expect to change careers multiple times. Which would be the best program to incentivize employees interested in future career changes to stay with the organization for a longer period of time? A) Job enrichment B) Apprenticeships C) Job rotation D) Dual career ladders
C) Job rotation By using a job rotation program, an organization could allow employees to explore different career paths without leaving the organization to do so. Apprenticeships are more geared toward training technical skills, which may not work to expose employees to new career opportunities. Dual career ladders can provide a meaningful career path for employees uninterested in becoming a supervisor or manager but would likely keep employees within the same general career field without giving them the opportunity to explore other possibilities. Job enrichment adds planning & management duties to employees' current positions; it does not necessarily give them the ability to explore other opportunities.
An HR VP is looking to implement a program to enhance career development in the organization's employee base. Feedback in a recent employee survey indicated that employees don't know very much about the function of other positions within the company, which limits the ability of employees to explore career paths that are not immediately related to their current position. Which program should the HR VP implement? A) Job enlargement B) Apprenticeships C) Job rotation D) Job enrichment
C) Job rotation Job rotation is a career development method that rotates employees between different positions within the company on a regular basis. It enhances career development opportunities while addressing the employee feedback about lack of awareness of other positions in the company, & it allows employees to better explore career paths that may interest them within the company.
At the completion of an HR project, which action demonstrates that the project has been evaluated effectively? A) Administering a survey to obtain from stakeholders on the impact of the project. B) Collaborating with the project team to draft a final communication document. C) Measuring outcomes to determine if targets have been met as planned. D) Ensuring that all tasks are completed at the times outlined int he project plan.
C) Measuring outcomes to determine if targets have been met as planned. The evaluation of a project is complete when the results have been assessed to ensure that the targets or objectives have been met.
HR at a professional services organization needs to assess employee interest in a possible new benefit quickly. Which is the best vehicle HR should use? A) Third-party-administered paper-based survey B) Individual interviews C) Online survey D) Focus groups
C) Online survey The online survey can be conducted quickly and a response threshold set. The other methods are too time-consuming.
An international organization is creating a new position that will be implemented simultaneously in several countries. The HR VP wants to make sure that the organization is able to attract talented, qualified individuals in every location. What can the HR VP do to help ensure that they are able to do so? A) Implement a signing bonus in countries the HR VP is concerned about to create immediate interest. B) Implement the position & collect applicant data for each location, & base new incentives on that information. C) Perform a compensation study to ensure that the salary meets market expectations in each location. D) Write different job descriptions for each location, emphasizing parts of the job that will attract interest in the given location.
C) Perform a compensation study to ensure that the salary meets market expectations in each location. Performing a compensation study based on a consistent job description is the best way to ensure that the position will attract the desired # of qualified candidates in each location.
Which business strategy is being used when a global furniture company varies its sofa fabrics & dimensions to fit local market tastes while using standardized manufacturing methods? A) Localization production B) Benchmark manufacturing C) Product differentiation D) Competitive advantage
C) Product differentiation Creating competitive advantage through internal changes involves the organization's ability to create product change to create a new way to appeal to customers.
HR has created instant feedback surveys to gauge employees' responses to a set of diversity awareness training sessions. Which type of measure do these represent? A) Behavior B) Results C) Reaction D) Learning
C) Reaction Reaction measures indicate how participants felt about the program.
An organization conducts a confidential survey of employees to assess workplace satisfaction. Responses are received from 75% of employees, &, after analyzing comments, management requires mandatory retraining of all supervisors. What important step has the organization omitted? A) Ensuring ease of response B) Responding to feedback C) Sharing feedback with stakeholders D) Prejudging results
C) Sharing feedback with stakeholders Although it is laudable that the organization has acted on the survey results, the organization should have reported key results from the survey to employees. Given the high response rate, the survey must have been designed to facilitate response. Since the survey focus was general, there is no indication that management had predetermined the need for supervisory training.
In a learning culture, how should an HR director respond to a manager who wants to discipline an employee for failing to secure a new account using an unproven sales methodology? A) Restrict the employee's ability to use the methodology moving forward. B) Implement a recognition program to reinforce successful sales. C) Use the failure as a growth opportunity to reinforce employee learning, & acknowledge that failure is not wrong. D) Issue a written warning to the employee, as it was up to the employee to deliver the new account.
C) Use the failure as a growth opportunity to reinforce employee learning, & acknowledge that failure is not wrong. In a learning organization, learning is built into work processes and methodologies, so trying a new approach or method would not necessarily be viewed as a negative.
Which factor should an HR practitioner analyze when considering whether to modify an organization's compensation philosophy? A) Whether the organization pays more or less than any other business in the area B) What types of initiatives the organization may provide this year C) Whether the philosophy continues to support the organization's strategic initiatives D) Whether the compensation provided is in the form of goods & services
C) Whether the philosophy continues to support the organization's strategic initiatives A compensation philosophy guides the design & complexity of compensation programs. A well-designed compensation philosophy supports the organization's strategic plan & initiatives.
An organization is having difficulty hiring engineers, yet their pay survey data indicates that they are paying 10% above the average for such employees. Which should be the 1st step an HR director takes to resolve the issue? A) Raise the starting salary for engineers above the current rates. B) Look to other recruitment sources and offer a retention bonus. C) Offer current employees a bonus for successful referrals. D) Check when the data was gathered & adjust it accordingly.
D) Check when the data was gathered & adjust it accordingly. The organization needs to be sure that the data is accurate and timely. If it is outdated, they need to adjust it accordingly. For example, if inflation is 4% and the data is 3 years old, they are actually offering less than the average. Once they have adjusted the starting salary, they may also want to look at other recruitment sources, offer signing bonuses, & ask current employees for referrals.
Which is the best way to gather training needs information about customer service problems in an onshoring location? A) Have customer service representatives complete training questionnaires. B) Form an advisory committee consisting of training & operations managers. C) Review employee records to define past customer service problems. D) Conduct a series of focus groups with customer service representatives.
D) Conduct a series of focus groups with customer service representatives. Having voluntary candidates from the customer service department participate in focus groups will provide real-time opportunities to discuss concerns & brainstorm solutions.
What branding technique would be the most effective in an organization that has an urgent need for high-quality employees? A) Partnering with internal marketing leaders to advertise sustainability as an organizational brand pillar. B) Developing a list of employment branding factors to help determine what distinguishes the organization. C) Implementing & executing internal & external activities focused on communicating brand awareness. D) Conducting formal & informal labor market research to determine organizational fit as an employer of choice.
D) Conducting formal & informal labor market research to determine organizational fit as an employer of choice. When the need for high-quality employees is urgent, identifying the main competition for high-quality talent is essential & is accomplished by conducting formal & informal labor market research to determine where the organization fits as an employer of choice.
What must HR do to overcome the biggest challenge in implementing an effective workplace flexibility strategy? A) Confirm that senior leadership supports alternative work arrangements for all employees & departments. B) Confirm that employees have the technology to work remotely. C) Confirm that the leadership style is predominantly task-oriented, minimizing the focus on relationship building with employees. D) Confirm that the immediate supervisor understands the requirements of the work role & its duties.
D) Confirm that the immediate supervisor understands the requirements of the work role & its duties. One of the biggest challenges to implementing successful alternative work programs is ensuring that the immediate supervisor is on board. While overall culture is also important, the supervisor must be trained & supported to manage remote employees.
An organization typically measures the engagement levels of new employees via survey on a monthly basis throughout the 1st year of employment. The surveys show that engagement levels drop precipitously from initial levels, with engagement dropping throughout the first 3 months & then stabilizing at an unacceptably low level. Which action can the organization take to best combat the issue? A) Ask job candidates about engagement at previous jobs and hire only candidates that have better engagement tendencies. B) Place employees on probation during the first 3 months of employment to ensure that they stay engaged. C) Give the new hires a buddy to help them understand the organization during the first month of employment. D) Create a structured onboarding process that lasts through the first 3 months of employment.
D) Create a structured onboarding process that lasts through the first 3 months of employment. The best option is to create a long-lasting onboarding experience that guides new employees through the first 3-month period, when engagement levels historically have tended to drop at the organization.
Which of the following recommendations should the HR manager be sure to make to managers to help ensure a successful remote working arrangement? A) Make remote work available to employees with the longest tenure, as they are typically more independent. B) Ensure that employees who work remotely use the same days & times to simplify the schedule & minimize disruption. C) Ensure that managers are consistent in making remote working options available to all employees. D) Determine the kind of work & the work style of employees who would likely be successful.
D) Determine the kind of work & the work style of employees who would likely be successful. To ensure a successful remote working arrangement, the specific work role should be reviewed for the appropriateness of working off site, & the individual employee's performance & work style should be evaluated to ensure that remote working can be successful.
Which HR approach can best address complaints & concerns received from a significant part of the workforce regarding a recent business journal publication of detailed executive salaries? A) Conduct individual interviews with dissatisfied employees to determine level. B) Ask the CEO to provide a company-wide statement regarding the publication. C) E-mail job grade & pay range information to all employees for transparency. D) Develop & distribute individualized total rewards statements for all employees.
D) Develop & distribute individualized total rewards statements for all employees. The most efficient way to mitigate a sense of unfairness within the compensation system is to help employees understand the value of their own total rewards & compensation. Educating employees on their direct & indirect compensation & benefits will shift the focus away from executive salaries to their personal total rewards.
HR has gathered information about the factors that may drive employee engagement in a newly acquired division. Which phase in strategic planning will HR be using as they translate the data gathered into an employee engagement strategy? A) Evaluation B) Formulation C) Implementation D) Development
D) Development The development phase of strategic planning involves translating data to develop a specific strategic plan. Once a plan has been developed, it can be implemented and evaluated.
Which is most likely to occur when an organization's strategic plan is focused on creating an environment that promotes positive relations between employees & management & seeks to balance the needs of employees with those of the organization? A) Employees feel trusted & secure & use benefits more frequently. B) Management will be able to tailor incentives to employee motivation. C) Management will have flexibility to apply policies on a case-by-case basis. D) Employees will feel a greater sense of loyalty & will be more productive.
D) Employees will feel a greater sense of loyalty & will be more productive. An organization's strategic plan is advanced by creating an environment that promotes positive relations between employees & management, that seeks to balance the needs of employees with those of the organization, and that is marked by greater employee engagement.
Which type of interview would be the best for determining how multiple candidates would handle working in a dynamic situation where the ability to work fluidly in changing groups is required? A) Unstructured interview B) Competency-based interview C) Stress interview D) Fishbowl interview
D) Fishbowl interview A fishbowl interview-a type of group interview where multiple candidates are brought in to work in a true-to-life work setting. Understanding how individuals work in a new dynamic group & the ability to directly observe & compare multiple candidates at the same time would be beneficial for hiring for the described position.
An organization has an issue with rapid turnover in new hires. Exit interviews indicate that the exiting employees feel that they did not properly understand the position's requirements or organizational culture & rapidly became disengaged shortly after being hired. Which action should the organization's HR VP take to address the turnover rate? A) Change the type of interview the organization uses to select applicants in an effort to find those that are a better cultural fit for the organization. B) Create a financial incentive program that offers bonuses to new employees based on time served by the employee, heavily weighted toward milestones in the 1st year of employment. C) Implement a job rotation program in an effort to cross-train current employees, promoting multiple career paths for employees & reducing the need to look outside the organization to fill open positions. D) Implement a talent acquisition process that provides better information to applicants during the application & interview process, including information on job descriptions & organizational values.
D) Implement a talent acquisition process that provides better information to applicants during the application & interview process, including information on job descriptions & organizational values. By providing information up front during the application and interview process, the organization allows for self-selection among applicants, resulting in applicants that fit better with the organizational culture and understand the duties of the job better.
HR discovers that newer employees are 4 times less likely to participate in the ancillary benefit programs compared to employees who have been with the company for at least 5 years. Which action should the HR director take to help increase awareness of the programs? A) Implement a formal onboarding program. B) Mention the programs in the next departmental meeting. C) Implement an informal onboarding program. D) Implement an orientation program.
D) Implement an orientation program. An orientation program can be used familiarize employees with the organization, including benefit programs, facility amenities, & organizational departments. By incorporating available benefit programs into the orientation process, HR can ensure that all new employees are made aware of the presence of the programs and their ability to participate in them.
Which of the following is a legal consideration that is associated with using social media for recruiting? A) False social networking profiles that were set up by an individual seeking to harm another individual. B) Engaging passive job candidates who may be a good fit for the organization but are not actively looking for jobs. C) Misleading or inaccurate information about a candidate that overstates the candidate's qualifications. D) Inadvertently discovering information that is illegal to use when considering an applicant.
D) Inadvertently discovering information that is illegal to use when considering an applicant. Use of social media in recruiting may inadvertently uncover information such as marital status or sexual orientation that is illegal to use when considering a candidate, which may open the organization up to discrimination allegations from candidates.
What must be true about an employee value proposition in order for it to be successful? A) It must cater to the concerns of the Millennial generation. B) It must use social media in order to reach the target audience. C) It must take a strong stance on sustainability efforts. D) It must be aligned with the organization's strategic plan.
D) It must be aligned with the organization's strategic plan. In order for an EVP to be successful, it must align closely with the organization's strategic plan, mission, vision, & values.
Which is the best method an HR manager of a small engineering firm should use to strategically evaluate all positions within the firm to create a formal hierarchical structure? A) Point-factor method B) Job competency method C) Quantitative method D) Job ranking method
D) Job ranking method Job ranking is a nonquantitative method used to evaluate the entire job & sequence jobs in hierarchical order based on their value to the organization.
Which of the following drivers of employee engagement is consistent in workplaces globally? A) Pay structures that consistently lead the market compared to those of competitors B) Quality of the relationship between employee & manager C) Confidence that career objectives can be met while advancing in the organization D) Job role that encompasses opportunities for professional & career growth
D) Job role that encompasses opportunities for professional & career growth Among the 4 key components of building engagement globally are opportunities for growth & development.
What is true regarding global leadership development? A) A strong organizational culture of leadership development is required to be successful at developing leaders. B) All countries share at least 1 leadership learning source: mistakes. C) The 70-20-10 model has universal applicability & utility. D) Leadership theories developed in 1 culture cannot be applied indiscriminately to other cultures.
D) Leadership theories developed in 1 culture cannot be applied indiscriminately to other cultures. Leadership theories are not universally applicable & cannot be indiscriminately applied from 1 nation or culture to another.
Which appraisal method would be most effective to reinforce trust in an organization? A) Forced distribution method B) Comparative method C) Ranking method D) Management by objectives (MBO)
D) Management by objectives (MBO) With the MBO method, employees help set objectives with their supervisors based on concrete outcomes. This method minimizes perceptions of a lack of fairness since success or failure is transparent.
In Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline, which discipline discusses our deeply ingrained assumptions that influence how we understand the world and how we take action? A) Shared vision B) Systems thinking C) Personal mastery D) Mental models
D) Mental models Of the 5 disciplines, mental models are our deeply ingrained assumptions that influence how we understand the world & how we take action.
The statement "Must possess a working knowledge of customer security requirements & incident investigation" is included in a job description for a security specialist position. What does this best exemplify? A) Performance standard B) Success factor C) Primary duty D) Minimum qualification
D) Minimum qualification This statement indicates the minimum knowledge required to perform the job satisfactorily, an example of a minimum qualification.
Leaders of a manufacturing company are updating the strategic business plan. HR is consulting with the branch managers on how to accomplish the plan's goals. What is the most essential driver of the performance management process that HR should have managers focus on during individual performance planning? A) Global internal & external factors B) Manager's feedback C) 360-degree feedback results D) Organizational strategy & business objectives
D) Organizational strategy & business objectives Everything flows from the organization's strategy & business objectives. Employee performance plans must be tied to these strategies & goals, or the employees & the organization will be moving in different directions.
Service specialists are given a lot of discretion when dealing with customers, & those interactions have a big effect on the organization's sales. The difference in revenue generation & customer satisfaction between high performers & low performers is significant. What best describes the high performers? A) Mentor candidates for low performers B) Future leaders C) Employees with special skills D) Pivotal talent pool
D) Pivotal talent pool These service specialists would be an example of what Boudreau & Ramstad call "pivotal talent pools." Boudreau & Ramstad maintain that these can lead to improved organizational decisions & performance.
Which leadership assessment tool offers the highest usefulness & validity at the lowest cost? A) Leaderless group discussions B) Simulations C) Psychological inventories D) Situation judgment tests
D) Situation judgment tests Work sample tests, situation judgment tests (SJTs), & other tools that require demonstrations of leadership exhibit high validity. However, these also have the highest development costs &, except for SJTs, the highest administration costs.
A department manager is interested in knowing how his employees are doing with their work activities & how he can best support each employee on his team, particularly with issues within the manager's control. Which approach does this best describe? A) Job shadowing B) Informal mentoring C) 360-degree assessment D) Stay interview
D) Stay interview Employers often conduct stay interviews as a retention tool to keep good employees from jumping ship. Unlike exit interviews, which amount to autopsies of why an employee is leaving, stay interviews are conducted during employment to help employers ascertain why good employees stay & what might make them leave. It's important to listen & gather ideas from an employee about how a manager & the organization can retain him or her.
Which term best describes organizational compatibility with external & internal environments related to the goals & values the organization chooses & the resources & capabilities that can be deployed? A) Competitive advantage B) Performance strategy C) Business performance D) Strategic fit
D) Strategic fit Robert Grant defines strategic fit as the consonance or compatibility of an organization's strategy with its external & internal environments, especially with regard to the goals & values the organization chooses & the resources & capabilities that can be deployed toward strategic goals.
A global organization invests heavily in learning & development. It has country-specific learning & development departments, each creating its own programs, all of which seem highly successful. However, the HR VP notices that training issues common to certain countries do not appear to affect other countries. Which of the following likely represents the cause of the discrepancy? A) The organization failing to make learning & development a cornerstone strategy & failing to regularly reinvent itself B) The organization failing to make learning & development a core competency across all of its global channels C) Key decision makers within the organization failing to think & act globally, creating discrepancies in resource allocations between divisions D) The organization focusing on each individual part of the learning & development system instead of the global system
D) The organization focusing on each individual part of the learning & development system instead of the global system By focusing on the parts of the global system instead of the whole system, the organization is susceptible to divisional silos preventing the sharing of information. A global focus would help ensure consistency between the learning & development efforts from country to country, helping to prevent issues that have already been solved & addressed in 1 location from occurring in other locations.
While developing the HR function's business plan, an HR manager is informed that organizational budget constraints have led to an organization-wide hiring freeze. The manager has also been told to plan for at least 1 major round of workforce reductions. Which would be a reasonable objective for the coming year's business plan for HR? A) Contracting out development of a planned supervisory training program. B) Postponing a planned health-care project until the next year. C) Developing an RFP and conducting a search to outsourcethe termination process. D) Training all HR personnel in the termination process.
D) Training all HR personnel in the termination process. Ensuring that all personnel are prepared to assist in layoffs will use function resources prudently & flexibly.
What is a major talent acquisition consideration for HR leadership when engaging in a greenfield operation? A) Terms of agreement with the partnering organization. B) Retention of key talent during the transition process. C) Integrating new talent resources from the acquired organization. D) Understanding local laws & employment regulations.
D) Understanding local laws & employment regulations. A greenfield operation involves opening a new site, often in a new location. It's important to consider local laws & employment regulations when doing so. The other considerations are important when going through mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, or strategic alliances.
