Organizational Effectiveness & Development
Analytical Aptitude
Communication
Structure of HR Function
Business Accumen
100
Which organizational structure is best described as being divided according to a linear process?
Functional Organization
Rationale
A functional organization is organized according to a linear process, for example, design, supplies, procurement, manufacturing, sales and marketing, distribution, and customer service.
100
Type of analysis that starts with a result and then works backward to identify fundamental cause.
Root-cause analysis
100
When communicating with neurodiverse persons, what should an HR professional be prepared to do?
A.) Listen rather than talk.
B.) Notice when their social cues may be signaling a miscommunication.
C.) Accommodate their needs by communicating in a different way with them than with others.
D.) Communicate with them via electronic means only so that noise won’t get in the way of understanding.
B.) Notice when their social cues may be signaling a miscommunication.
Rationale
Individuals on the autism spectrum or those diagnosed with dyslexia, ADHD, dyspraxia, or social anxiety disorders may not exhibit the same social cues as other people. If such cues indicate that there may be a miscommunication present, it is important to recognize when appropriate accommodations might be needed and to verify that messages are being sent and received accurately. The accommodations needed will differ by individual, so no specific method such as electronic means will always be the right choice. While listening is important, not talking is not always what is needed. One should also not assume that the neurodiverse person wants to be communicated with differently from the start.
100
Systematic and comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s HR policies, practices, procedures, and strategies.
HR audit
100
A company has reached a point of stability in its internal processes and ways of doing business. What stage of the life cycle characterizes this company?
A.) Maturity
B.) Growth
C.) Decline
D.) Introduction
A.) Maturity
Rationale
As an industry, organization, or product matures, problems are largely resolved. In an organization, staffing and culture begin to stabilize, and the rate of change levels off. Policies, procedures, and rules are formalized and communicated to all employees. Training is emphasized, and labor cost control becomes a factor.
200
Way an organization groups jobs to coordinate work.
Departmentalization
200
Which action best illustrates the use of evidence-based decision making in HR?
A.) A director bases promotion decisions on the recommendations of trusted staff.
B.) HR documents and educates all staff about standard operating procedures.
C.) Staff performs a regression analysis to identify likely factors for success in candidate profiles.
D.) Staff participates in monthly lunches to discuss recent studies in journals on organizational performance.
C.) Staff performs a regression analysis to identify likely factors for success in candidate profiles.
Rationale
The best example of EBDM is the gathering and analysis of candidate data against job performance to identify critical success factors. It is not simply gathering expertise; it is applying information to make better decisions.
200
A technique used by communicators who are fully engaged with their audiences, both physically and cognitively.
Active listening
200
An HR manager observes a staff member spending considerable time following up on compliance questions from line managers and supervisors. How should the manager respond?
A.) Ask line managers to submit questions to HR in e-mail form.
B.) Provide positive feedback to motivate this type of behavior.
C.) Say nothing now but document the amount of time spent in this manner.
D.) Address the issue in a staff meeting without mentioning names.
B.) Provide positive feedback to motivate this type of behavior.
Rationale
The staff member demonstrates HR’s mission to provide service to its internal customers, and compliance questions merit HR’s prompt attention. The role of HR leaders is to model commitment to the concept of customer service, which the manager can do by praising the staff member’s performance.
200
Presentation to management that establishes that a specific problem exists and argues for a proposed solution.
Business case
300
Organizational structure in which departments are defined by the services they contribute to the organization’s overall mission, such as marketing and sales, operations, and HR.
Functional structure
300
Technique in which participants each suggest ideas through a series of rounds and then discuss the items, eliminate redundancies and irrelevancies, and agree on the importance of the remaining items.
Nominal group technique (NGT)
300
What is the best way to deliver negative feedback to a subordinate?
A.) Wait for a quiet moment, when any stress related to the issue has subsided.
B.) Create a work environment fostering open and honest communication in which employees feel valued even when negative feedback is necessary
C.) Deliver positive feedback in person and negative feedback in writing for the purpose of documentation.
D.) Start and end with positive feedback, even if it is about a minor performance element.
B.) Create a work environment fostering open and honest communication in which employees feel valued even when negative feedback is necessary
Rationale
Negative feedback is most effective when it occurs within a work context that makes employees feel valued. They see the negative feedback as opportunity to improve and contribute rather than as a personal failure.
300
Arrangement in which an enterprise and a vendor share different tasks within a larger complex, often strategic responsibility.
Cosourcing
300
An organization wants to increase its workforce. As part of the analysis, what macroeconomic information might be a red flag regarding this strategy?
A.) Market prices for the organization’s products are high now but are projected to fall.
B.) The organization will have greater access to quality human resources than its foreign competitors.
C.) Revenues will increase rapidly, but variable expenses will rise just as rapidly.
D.) Financial projections indicate that expenses will increase faster than revenues but that this trend will reverse itself in the long term.
A.) Market prices for the organization’s products are high now but are projected to fall.
Rationale
Supply refers to the availability of the good or service. When prices are high, supply will typically increase as organizations try to maximize profits. Falling profits typically result in less supply. Therefore, while there is an incentive to expand now, the trend indicates that the incentive to expand may be going away. While demand may rise as price falls, profit margins will be lower.
400
A HR professional has been assigned to help a new product development team that has had difficulty achieving smooth collaboration. The members keep accusing each other of not doing what they’re supposed to be doing and instead interfering in each other’s work. What tool could help the HR professional and the product team in this situation?
RACI MATRIX
Rationale
The team needs to define and agree on roles and responsibilities. This can be done by using a RACI matrix. It defines roles in term of whether a person or group is responsible for performing a task, accountable to management for the performance, consulted for input into the activity, or informed of progress.
400
How can HR influence the data cleansing process toward better long-term data usefulness?
A.) Standardize the process even if this is disruptive to implement.
B.) Standardize the process to the degree it can be done without any disruptions.
C.) Develop a culture of data privacy that limits sharing of data.
D.) Develop a culture of innovation and experimentation with data cleansing.
A.) Standardize the process even if this is disruptive to implement.
Rationale
HR can try to embed certain best practices regarding data cleansing into the culture. Pushing for standardized data collection is a valuable step that should be taken early despite the perceived hurdles and potential disruption. The cost (in time, errors, and so forth) of not doing this will likely grow over time.
400
Process of constructing a message so that an audience sees communicated facts in a certain way and is persuaded to take a certain action.
Framing
400
In a sales and marketing environment, what are the 4 Ps of marketing?
A.) Price, push, pull, and place
B.) Price, push, promotion, and place
C.) Price, product, promotion, and place
D.) Price, product, pull, and place
Price, push, pull, and place
Price, push, promotion, and place
Price, product, promotion, and place
Price, product, pull, and place
C.) Price, product, promotion, and place
Rationale
The responsibility of marketing is often described as managing the 4 Ps: price (how much to charge), product (what to offer), promotion (how to reach potential customers), and place (where or how to sell). Marketing strategies are often characterized as "push" or "pull".
400
Performance management tool that depicts an organization’s overall performance, as measured against goals, lagging indicators, and leading indicators.
Balanced scorecard
500
Organizational structure that combines departmentalization by division and function to gain the benefits of both; results in some employees reporting to two managers rather than one, with neither manager assuming a superior role.
Matrix structure
500
Technique that progressively collects information from a group of anonymous respondents.
Delphi technique
500
Which option is an example of noise in the communication model?
A.) The speaker is deeply respected in the listener’s culture.
B.) The listener fills in shared background that the speaker does not mention.
C.) The listener disagrees with what is being said.
D.) The speaker uses technical abbreviations that the listener does not know.
D.) The speaker uses technical abbreviations that the listener does not know.
Rationale
Noise is any condition that can prevent a message from being correctly understood by a receiver. Technical jargon and other unfamiliar terms can be a barrier (noise) to the listener’s understanding. Disagreement is not noise, nor are factors that actually enhance understanding, such as shared context or respect.
500
An organizational structure that leverages staff expertise in certain areas to improve the entire organization’s strategic performance
Center of excellence (COE)
500
Statement of an organization’s ability to meet its current and short-term obligations, showing incoming and outgoing cash and cash reserves in operations, investments, and financing.
Cash flow statement