Definition & Concepts
_________ is the process of systematically moving a single individual from one job to another over the course of time.
Job rotation
According to Expectancy Theory, what is the formula of employees’ motivation?
HINT: The links among effort, performance, and outcomes.
(E) x sum[(I) x (V)]
Key aspect: multiplicative effect
Motivation is zero if either expectancy, instrumentality, or valence is zero.
A halo effect is that one positive performance aspect causes the rater to rate all other aspects of performance positively.
True.
What is the opposite called? Horn effect.
Which of the following comparisons will be less likely to cause feelings of inequity?
A.Derek Jeter, a former shortshop for NY Yankees, earns thousands times more than a beer vendor at the Yankee’s stadium.
B.Dr. Gilbert, an assistant professor at University of Minnesota earns $88,625; Dr. Foulk, an assistant professor at University of Maryland, earns $99,201 per year.
C.As the world’s highest-paid actress, Jennifer Lawrence banked $52 million last year, which is $28 million less than the world’s highest-paid actor, Robert Downey Jr.
A
When selecting a training content delivery method (from among the combinations of “seeing,” “hearing,” and/or “doing”), it is critical to consider how similar the training is to the real task setting. As we discussed in class, it is also critical to consider all of the following, EXCEPT:
A.How much control the trainer has over the selection of the method.
B.How many trainees can participate at once.
C.How expensive the training method is.
D.How much control trainees have over the pace of instruction.
A
To check whether employees are ready to be trained, we need to know whether lack of performance is a result of (A) lack of knowledge, or (B) lack of motivation. Which of the following factors are related to lack of knowledge and which are related to lack of motivation?
1.Conscientiousness
2.Writing skills
3.Self-efficacy
4.Openness
5.Reading skills
6.Awareness of benefits that come from the training
1. Lack of motivation
2. Lack of knowledge
3. Lack of motivation
4. Lack of motivation
5. Lack of knowledge
6. Lack of motivation
What is the first step to take as a progressive discipline measure?
HINT: Think about organizational response; documentation.
Unofficial verbal warning with witness present.
Development is critical for talent management, particularly for those with leadership potential.
True.
It is “development” (e.g., succession planning) that is critical for talent management. Training typically focuses on “current” need. Remember to compare the differences between training & development.
Your organization chooses to use banding, as part of its job structure. What type of bands and grades would you suggest to your board of directors in order to a) have pay be directly linked to the market, and b) have job differences closely relate to pay differences?
Hint: The shape of the bands; more or less grades.
Short/Wide bands; More grades
Whittaker Publishing Corp. is a publishing company that wants to hire more technical experts to handle the software requirements in the publishing process. However, the test given to the programmers assesses not only their technical knowledge but also their communication skills, language abilities, and understanding of client services. The test conducted by Whittaker Publishing Corp. is _____.
A.high on reliability
B.low on strategic congruence
C.high on specificity
D.low on validity
D
Here are the five stages of training. Please put them in order (from the first step to the last step).
1.Ensuring employees’ readiness for training.
2.Conducting a needs assessment.
3.Ensuring transfer of training has occurred.
4.Creating a learning environment.
5.Evaluating training programs.
2 – 1 – 4 – 3 – 5
Write down ONE advantage of forced distributions rating and ONE disadvantage of it.
Advantages –
1.Improve workplace performance in the short-term
2.Easy to conduct
Disadvantages –
1.Good performers might voluntarily quit or be forced to leave the company.
2.This approach is low in both specificity and in strategic congruence (medium in reliability and validity).
●
It also creates competitive rather than collaborative work environment.
College professors are assessed on research but not enough on teaching. This is an example of a performance measure with contamination.
False. The measure is deficient, not contaminated.
You have conducted a job analysis and determined that the three most important attributes that your subordinates need to have are “ability to think creatively,” “interpersonal skills,” and “flexibility.”
You think it would be a good idea to rate your subordinates on these specific dimensions on a scale of 1 = Poor, 3 = Average, and 5 = Good. If you do this, what type of technique are you using?
Graphic rating scale
Maybe, it is a “mixed standard scale” but what are the differences?
Which of the following is not true of problems in performance evaluation?
A.Often time, employees don’t know what they are expected do because employers might expect more than what is directly listed in the job description.
B.360-degree feedback is not a reliable measure because it is not objective.
C.Bad communication and unclear instruction might lead to employees’ poor performance.
D.Asking performance evaluators to think about employee’s job performance over the last year may lead them to miss out on many behaviors.
B
________ is how well a given measure assesses all of the necessary aspects of a given construct.
HINT: A type of validity.
Content validity
Write down TWO goals to keep in mind when delivering performance feedback.
It is swift and impersonal
It is from multiple sources and is given once a year
It fosters acceptance of the evaluation and behavioral adjustment follows it
All of the above are acceptable goals
Employees take the risk when defined benefit plans (AKA pensions) are chosen because it’s an investment account.
HINT: Understand the two ways to fund retirement.
False.
Defined contribution plans are where employees take the risk because the employer solely provides investment capital.
You run an advertising sales firm, Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Price, and you want your company to be known for personalized customer service, where sales representatives really get to know the needs of their customers. You use “number of customers added each year” as the only performance measure for each of your sales people. What is one of the BIGGEST problem with this performance measure? BRIEFLY EXPLAIN WHY.
Poor reliability
Poor specificity
Poor strategic congruence
Which of the following does NOT describe how a company develops employees by providing job experiences?
A.P&G and Google have swapped employees in 2008. P&G wanted their employees to have greater exposure to online models; and Google employees were interested in learning more about how to build brands.
B.Marc B. Lautenbach, the CEO at Pitney Bowes, learned a lot about conflict management through his role as vice president of his homeowners association.
C.Mary has attended McDonald’s Hamburger University and participated in a leadership development program. It is a thought-provoking, comprehensive and unique management curriculum taught by managers with rich experiences working in different countries.
D.Ted, the marketing and business development manager at Amazon, will step down and become the product manager. The demotion is because of his poor performance in the past few years.
C
There are four dimensions of organizational citizenship behaviors. _______ is to maintain a positive attitude, even in bad times.
E.g., keeping morale up; encouraging others during long work days.
SPORTSMANSHIP.
-Altruism – helping and assisting coworkers in need.
-Civic virtue – participating in optional functions in order to be a better corporate citizen.
-Sportsmanship: maintaining a positive attitude, even in bad times.
-Courtesy – sharing pertinent information with others.
__________ suggests that procedures are applied by someone who has no vested interested in the outcome, and who has no prior prejudices about an employee.
HINT: A procedural justice concept.
Bias suppression:
e.g., firing you clears the way for my best friend to get the promotion.
Attribute approach’s:
- Reliability is high; different raters usually agree on relative rankings;
- Specificity is very low; rankings occur on overall performance
- Strategic congruence is low; no link is made to specific organizational goals
False
- Reliability is usually low (but can be improved by using specific definitions)
- Specificity is very low (behaviors needed to compensate for poor KSAOs can be unclear)
- Strategic congruence is usually low (manager required to make links to specific organizational goals).
Consider a scenario where an employer yelled at an employee and called him or her names, like ‘loser’ or ‘failure,’ while firing him or her (disrespectful treatment). What is the aspect of interactional justice that is violated.
HINT: Interactional justice consists of both interpersonal and informational components. The answer falls under one of these two components.
Information –
Explanation: justify decisions
Social sensitivity: treat with dignity & respect
Interpersonal
Consideration: listen to people’s concerns
Empathy: identify with people’s feeling
Which of the following is NOT true about 401k programs?
A.You can save money toward retirement on a tax-deferred basis.
B.You cannot withdraw until age of 59.5 without severe penalties.
C.The maximum you can contribute per year is $28,000.
D.You can contribute $6,000 more per year if you are over 50 years old.
C