Deck 8: Developing Employees for Future Success

Question 1

The development of high-potential employees is usually a very swift process.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Women and minorities often have difficulty finding mentors.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The approaches to employee development fall into four broad categories: formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Coaches are peers or managers who work with other employees to motivate them, help them develop their skills, and provide them with reinforcement and feedback.

Question 5

Research on the validity, reliability, and effectiveness of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is inconclusive.

Question 6

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an assessment tool for behavioral styles based on the works of the psychologist William Marston.

Question 7

A performance appraisal process must identify causes of an employee's performance discrepancy and develop plans for improving his or her performance.

Question 8

The most frequent uses of assessment are to identify employees with managerial potential to measure current managers' strengths and weaknesses.

Question 9

Assessment centers are primarily used to identify employees' technical skills.

Question 10

Most employee development occurs through formal education programs.

Question 11

Action planning often involves the preparation of a career development plan.

Question 12

A protean career is one that remains constant despite the changes in a person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment.

Question 13

Development implies learning that is not necessarily related to an employee's current job.

Question 14

Basic career management systems involve the four sequential steps of recruiting, relocation, reality check, and action planning.

Question 15

Mentoring programs tend to be very successful when they are compulsory.

Question 16

In a self-assessment, an organization's responsibility is to identify opportunities and areas that need improvement.

Question 17

Relocation is the most common way to use downward moves for employee development.

Question 18

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, individuals with a Feeling (F) preference try always to be objective in making decisions, whereas individuals with a Thinking (T) preference are more subjective.

Question 19

An organization can use downward moves as a source of job experience.

Question 20

Research suggests that assessment center ratings are valid for predicting performance, salary level, and career advancement.

Question 21

The energy dichotomy of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator indicates

A) the preparations individuals make before making decisions.
B) the amount of consideration individuals give to their own and others' values and feelings.
C) individuals' degree of introversion or extroversion.
D) the hard facts of a situation.
E) individuals' tendency to be either flexible or structured.

Question 22

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, what is true of individuals with a Sensing (S) preference?

A) They enjoy surprises.
B) They tend to rush into decision making.
C) They tend to focus less on facts and more on possibilities and relationships among them.
D) They focus on interpersonal relationships.
E) They tend to gather the facts and details to prepare for a decision.

Question 23

A sales firm regularly enrolls some of its employees in a six-month marketing course with a leading university. At the end of the course, the employees are able to perform better in the organization. Which method of employee development has the firm used?

A) externship
B) formal education
C) assessment
D) interpersonal relationships
E) personality test

Question 24

The decision-making dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator relates to the

A) steps or actions individuals take when making decisions.
B) amount of consideration given to others' feelings when making a decision.
C) individuals' tendency to be flexible and adaptable.
D) confidence and speed with which decisions are reached.
E) individuals' interpersonal strength and vitality.

Question 25

Which statement is true of the relationship between training and development?

A) Training is future-oriented, while development is focused on one's experiences in the past.
B) Training prepares employees for management careers, while development is for learning entry-level skills.
C) Participation in training is voluntary, but most organizations require participation in development activities.
D) The goal of training is preparation for the current job, while the goal of development is preparation for future job opportunities.
E) Training is often an ongoing process, while development tends to be a short-term process.

Question 26

________ helps employees select development activities that prepare them to meet their career goals.

A) Career path
B) Training
C) Policy analysis
D) Job sharing
E) Career management

Question 27

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) identifies individuals' preferences for source of energy, means of information gathering, way of decision making, and

A) succession planning.
B) self-assessment.
C) lifestyle.
D) value system.
E) goal setting.

Question 28

The four general approaches that companies use for employee development include

A) formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships.
B) job rotation, promotion, transfer, and job sharing.
C) psychological tests, assessment centers, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and performance feedback.
D) business games, formal courses, team building, and assessment.
E) total quality management, Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, and quality function deployment.

Question 29

________ increases an employee's ability to move into jobs that may not yet exist.

A) Development
B) Qualification
C) Physical appearance
D) Personal background
E) Ethnic culture

Question 30

Jacob, the vice president of Money-Makers, is reviewing the development program for the company's middle managers. He notes that management development includes psychological profiles and mentors, as well as lateral moves to positions that give managers a broader view of the company. Jacob would like to add a component of formal education. Which option could be included in this new component?

A) on-the-job training in the basics of managers' current jobs
B) opportunities to sign up for sessions with a life coach
C) a program of externships at local charities
D) workshops involving business games and simulations
E) 360-degree feedback

Question 31

What is true of formal education as an approach to employee development?

A) Organizations organize formal educational programs at the workplace or off-site to support employee development.
B) Formal education includes organization-specific workshops that are open to outsiders as well as employees.
C) As a prerequisite to formal education, trainees must enroll in various courses offered by an organization.
D) Formal education includes presentations sent out by an organization, which enlist the ethics and policies educating employees from time to time.
E) In an organization, formal education involves collating data pertaining to the development of projects.

Question 32

Managers provide for ________, a combination of formal education, job experiences, relationships, and assessment of personality and abilities to help employees prepare for the future of their careers.

A) emotional development
B) training programs
C) employee development
D) counseling sessions
E) feedback

Question 33

For assessment to work efficiently, an employee must be

A) provided suggestions to improve his or her weak skills.
B) evaluated discreetly so the employee does not pretend to be a model employee.
C) present on the day the assessment occurs so that results of the feedback will be accurate.
D) employed at the organization for at least a year.
E) informed that an appraisal can take place at any time during the year.

Question 34

A(n) ________ is a career that frequently changes based on changes in a person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment.

A) prescribed career
B) stable career
C) flexible career
D) established career
E) protean career

Question 35

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, how do Introverted types (I) gain energy?

A) by focusing on inner thoughts
B) by focusing on interpersonal relationships
C) by gathering facts and details
D) by focusing less on facts and more on possibilities
E) by trying to be objective in making decisions

Question 36

Pen & Paper Inc., a publishing company, administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment to its editorial team and learned that some individuals are drawn toward gathering the facts and details needed for decision making, while others focus more on noticing relations among the facts. Some of the employees enjoy learning this about themselves, but the human resource specialist who administered the assessment cautions them not to use the results to limit their understanding of what they can do. Which statement best explains the need for caution in applying the results of this assessment?

A) MBTI scores are mainly useful for measuring job performance.
B) MBTI scores are not necessarily valid and reliable.
C) MBTI scores should be used for evaluating promotion potential.
D) MBTI scores are extremely stable over time.
E) The scores show that some individuals are more flexible in their thinking than others.

Question 37

Greene Creations, a popular furniture manufacturer, provides employee support through various workshops on interior design techniques. It also offers three-month courses on various aspects of decorating a home, from suitable paint for a media room to contemporary outdoor furnishings. This adds to employees' existing knowledge and skill sets, helping create customer satisfaction. In this scenario, which approach to employee development is Greene Creations taking?

A) assessment
B) formal education
C) job experiences
D) interpersonal relationships
E) counseling

Question 38

The process of collecting information and providing feedback to employees about their behavior, communication style, or skills is known as

A) requirements analysis.
B) data mining.
C) assessment.
D) counseling.
E) quality check.

Question 39

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Extroverted types (E) gain energy through

A) interpersonal relationships.
B) personal thoughts.
C) facts and details.
D) establishing goals.
E) inner feelings.

Question 40

According to the lifestyle dichotomy of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, individuals with a ________ preference enjoy surprises and dislike deadlines.

A) Judging (J)
B) Perceiving (P)
C) Thinking (T)
D) Feeling (F)
E) Sensing (S)

Question 41

Which statement is true about an assessment center?

A) An assessment center is a meeting room where a team of seven to ten employees is assigned a problem and must work together to solve it within a certain time period.
B) At an assessment center, multiple raters or evaluators evaluate employees' performance on a number of exercises.
C) It is an office that looks into the process of collecting information and providing feedback to employees about their behavior, communication style, or skills.
D) At an assessment center, senior managers hold a test that identifies individuals' preferences for source of energy, means of information gathering, way of decision making, and lifestyle.
E) It refers to an on-site location where the corporate leaders design a tool that gathers the ratings of a manager's use of the skills associated with success in managing.

Question 42

What is true of job enlargement?

A) It is a systematic approach to help an organization modify its core processes to achieve more efficient results.
B) It aims at greater productivity through reduced application of mental and physical effort.
C) It attempts to motivate employees by giving them the opportunity to use specific skill sets.
D) It involves moving employees through a series of job assignments in one or more functional areas.
E) It involves adding challenges or new responsibilities to employees' current jobs.

Question 43

Danielle works at a leading restaurant. She is scared of making mistakes at her workplace, so she is very keen on paying attention to details. She also prioritizes quality in her work. In the context of Inscape's DiSC assessment, she would most likely score high in

A) steadiness.
B) dominance.
C) conscientiousness.
D) humility.
E) influence.

Question 44

An employee's tolerance for uncertainty and the ability to get along with others are assessed in

A) leaderless group discussions.
B) in-basket exercises.
C) personality tests.
D) role plays.
E) interviews.

Question 45

The combination of relationships, problems, demands, tasks, and other features of an employee's jobs is referred to as

A) job appraisals.
B) job experiences.
C) formal education.
D) technical training.
E) interpersonal relationships.

Question 46

What is true about a transfer?

A) It typically involves a full-time temporary position at another organization.
B) A transfer fundamentally increases job responsibilities.
C) A transfer essentially increases compensation.
D) It occurs when an employee is given less responsibility and authority.
E) It is an assignment of an employee to a position in a different area of the company, usually in a lateral move.

Question 47

Using job experiences for development assumes that

A) development occurs most often when jobs are structured to eliminate challenges.
B) development occurs only through promotions.
C) development is most likely to occur when the work involves high levels of negative stress.
D) development is most likely when an employee's skills do not fully match the skills required.
E) development is most likely when an employee already knows how to perform the job.

Question 48

In ________, a participant takes the part of a manager or employee in a situation involving the skills to be assessed.

A) personality tests
B) group discussions
C) interview sessions
D) role-plays
E) leaderless group discussions

Question 49

Most companies use ________ moves as an option for employee development.

A) small upward
B) vertical and horizontal
C) left, right, and sideways
D) occasional horizontal
E) upward, downward, and lateral

Question 50

Which statement is true about the 360-degree feedback process?

A) It involves rating an individual in terms of work-related behaviors.
B) It collects a single perspective of a manager's performance.
C) It breaks down formal communications about behaviors and skill ratings between employees and their internal and external customers.
D) It gives results that can be easily interpreted by anyone.
E) It demands very little time from the raters to complete the evaluations.

Question 51

A(n) ________ involves moving an employee into a position with greater challenges, more responsibility, and more authority than in the previous job.

A) appraisal
B) demotion
C) promotion
D) transfer
E) externship

Question 52

Which category in the DiSC inventory means that a person emphasizes relationships and also displays optimism?

A) conscientiousness
B) steadiness
C) influence
D) dominance
E) initiative

Question 53

What is a potential problem of job rotation?

A) Employees typically develop a short-term perspective on their problems and solutions.
B) Employees generally earn less.
C) Promotions usually take longer.
D) Employees typically develop specialized skills but fail to use them due to quick rotations.
E) Job rotation decreases employees' understanding of different company functions.

Question 54

Milton Inc., a software company, conducts Inscape's DiSC inventory assessment to evaluate its employees. The assessment reveals that there are very few employees who are calm, supportive of others, and work far ahead of any deadlines. Which DiSC category applies to the employees described in the scenario?

A) influence
B) conscientiousness
C) steadiness
D) dominance
E) intelligence

Question 55

Job rotation involves

A) adding challenges or new responsibilities to an employee's current job.
B) moving an employee through a series of job assignments in one or more functional areas of the company.
C) allowing an employee to work full-time in a temporary position at another company.
D) allowing an employee to switch between two different jobs within the company on a daily or weekly basis.
E) assigning an employee to a position with less responsibility and authority.

Question 56

Linda, an employee of Fortitude Co., is having trouble in her current position. Her manager's constant feedback is that she does not maintain consistency in her work. In a meeting with Linda's manager, the HR team decides to shift her to a department that would not require as much skill as her current position requires. In this scenario, which approach to employee development is Linda experiencing?

A) a promotion
B) a downward move
C) a transfer
D) a sabbatical
E) a job enlargement

Question 57

What is true of in-basket exercises?

A) They require teams of five to seven employees to work together to solve assigned problems within a certain time period.
B) They are paper-and-pencil tests designed to measure participants' communication styles and skills.
C) They simulate the administrative tasks of a manager's job, using a pile of documents for the employee to handle.
D) They require participants to take the part of a manager or employee in a situation involving the skills to be assessed.
E) They require the use of interest and aptitude tests to evaluate an employee's vocabulary, general mental ability, and reasoning skills.

Question 58

The primary use of assessment centers is to identify

A) the employees who have the personality characteristics and skills needed for managerial positions.
B) the strengths and weaknesses of an organization.
C) the decision processes and communication styles that inhibit production.
D) the opportunities and threats to an organization.
E) the factors that inhibit group performance.

Question 59

Which assessment center exercise is being used when a team of five to seven employees is assigned a problem and must work together to solve it within a certain time period?

A) interview session
B) leaderless group discussion
C) role playing
D) in-basket exercise
E) personality test

Question 60

Why might an organization demote an employee to a lower-level position?

A) to provide greater challenges to him or her.
B) so that the employee can learn different skills
C) to increase the employee's visibility
D) so that the employee can get more authority
E) to give the employee more responsibility

Question 61

Acting as a mentor gives managers

A) career support and sponsorship.
B) increased visibility among the organization's managers.
C) a chance to talk about their worries.
D) a chance to develop their interpersonal skills.
E) a greater opportunity to be promoted.

Question 62

What is a characteristic of a successful formal mentoring program?

A) Mentor and protégé participation is mandatory.
B) Managers are rewarded for employee development.
C) Mentors are chosen on a random basis.
D) Mentors become therapists for their protégés.
E) Mentor-protégé relationships are artificially created.

Question 63

Employees at Atkins Inc. are frustrated with their manager, Kyle, who does not believe in providing feedback because he thinks it's a waste of time. His employees argue that they do not know how to hone their skills if they are not told what areas they should work on and what areas are satisfactory. Which statement would strengthen the employees' arguments?

A) Kyle only hires employees who have the potential to follow through on his high expectations.
B) Feedback is not an effective mechanism because employees can choose to reject the constructive information.
C) Evaluating each employee is a herculean task that would require a lot of time and effort.
D) Employees who receive feedback gain more clarity on their roles and how they fit within an organization.
E) Employees ought to evaluate themselves because self-assessment is the best type of feedback.

Question 64

The ________ is a self-assessment tool that helps employees identify their occupational and job interests.

A) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
B) Self-Directed Search
C) leaderless group discussion
D) Occupational Outlook Handbook
E) Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory

Question 65

Warm 'n Go, a leading brand in microwavable food items, prides itself on helping its employees with their career paths. The employees are highly efficient and are motivated to define areas of weakness in their job performances and work to eliminate them. The employees take various tests to help them assess their career interests and behavioral tendencies, thus helping them work on becoming successful. In this scenario, which system for career management is being employed at Warm 'n Go?

A) feedback
B) self-assessment
C) self-discipline
D) goal setting
E) action plan

Question 66

David was part of a formal mentoring program and was mentored by Angela. The mentoring sessions were conducted over a period of six weeks to improve David's communication and interpersonal skills in the workplace. The sessions, however, were unsuccessful. Which scenario, if true, would most likely have caused the failure of the mentoring sessions?

A) David failed to treat the mentoring sessions as therapy.
B) David and Angela did not have an informal relationship before the formal mentoring program began.
C) Angela is a senior employee and has more experience than David.
D) David's participation was involuntary, and he had little understanding of the details of the program.
E) David is a new employee, whereas Angela has been working with the firm for many years.

Question 67

John, a senior editor at TSS News, asks Ronda, the editor-in-chief, for a sabbatical. Which statement best explains why TSS News would pay John during the sabbatical, if Ronda approves it?

A) John will use the time to try his hand at acquiring skills in various other departments.
B) While John is away, Ronda can promote another senior editor on the team.
C) During the sabbatical, John can develop new skills and refresh his existing ones.
D) John's salary cannot be matched by any other company in the local area.
E) During the sabbatical, John will have more time to spend with family members.

Question 68

Matt is a successful senior employee at Tech Nation. He has five years of experience in the company and is well recognized for his contributions. The vice president of human resources tells Matt about Taylor, an employee Tech Nation hired for her keen intelligence. According to the vice president, Taylor is struggling to make an impact because she does not speak up assertively or understand who to talk to when she has questions. The vice president asks Matt to serve as a mentor to Taylor. What would this role involve doing?

A) promoting Taylor to better jobs and giving her raises
B) assigning several protégés to help Taylor
C) developing Taylor through coaching, sponsorship, and challenging assignments
D) implementing a formal mentoring program
E) administering 360-degree feedback

Question 69

Antonio, a manager at the Colonial Inn, is training a new group of employees. After each training session, the employees complete various exercises to test their knowledge. After evaluating the results, Antonio speaks one-on-one with the employees to help them define their areas of weakness and encourage them to keep fine-tuning their strengths. In this scenario, Antonio is providing his employees with

A) counseling.
B) feedback.
C) goals.
D) self-assessment.
E) self-appraisal.

Question 70

Management at an IT firm is thinking of promoting Tad, a customer service representative, to the position of senior customer relationship manager. Which scenario would make the promotion less likely to happen?

A) A promotion would reduce Tad's feelings of accomplishment.
B) Tad wants to improve his pay and status at work.
C) Tad is showing that he can handle greater responsibility.
D) Slow growth is limiting the opportunities available in the company.
E) The company would have to provide detailed information about the new position.

Question 71

Daniel, an accounting manager at Plot Co., agreed to work with a coach. He chose this in order to become more of a team player, which would, in turn, lead him to being considered for a larger role in management. After two months, however, he complained to the human resource manager that the process was time-consuming and he has not seen any positive results. Which response to Daniel's complaint would best reflect how coaching can contribute to employee development?

A) A coach generally starts by asking challenging questions, so the coach should be replaced.
B) Results should show up after several weeks-so Daniel must not be practicing.
C) Getting results can take several months-and the employee has to keep practicing.
D) The coach should have defined Daniel's goals and motives more specifically.
E) The coach should meet with Daniel every six months until he improves.

Question 72

Paula, a human resource executive, is setting up a mentoring program at her company. Which action will best help the program succeed?

A) making sure the performance management system rewards managers for employee development
B) selecting mentors based on their interpersonal rather than technical skills
C) setting up the mentoring as a mandatory program for both mentors and protégés
D) giving mentors realistic expectations by explaining that the protégés will benefit, not the mentors
E) defining the mentor's role broadly, to help with personal problems as well as business-related skills

Question 73

Which activity is most appropriate for the first step of the career management process?

A) self-assessment
B) goal setting
C) reality checking
D) identifying the steps and timetable to reach a goal
E) specifying the competencies to be developed

Question 74

A peer or manager who works closely with employees to motivate them, help them develop their skills, and provide reinforcement and feedback is known as a

A) protégé.
B) coach.
C) moderator.
D) high-potential employee.
E) facilitator.

Question 75

Kris is a technical analyst at Tulla Inc. and has consistently impressed her managers with her ability to perform outstandingly in all projects assigned to her. Her manager, Robert, understands that she is really good at her job, but also recognizes that she might experience burnout because of the repetitive nature of the job. He talks to her about developing other possible skills by working full time for a short period at a different company. In this scenario, which approach to employee development is Robert encouraging?

A) externship
B) transfer
C) promotion
D) job rotation
E) job transfer

Question 76

The step in the career management process in which employees receive information about their skills and knowledge and where these assets fit into the organization's plans is called

A) self-assessment.
B) feedback.
C) goal setting.
D) action planning.
E) data gathering.

Question 77

Which of the following helps identify employees' preferences for working in different types of environments, such as sales and counseling?

A) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
B) Self-Directed Search
C) leaderless group discussion
D) Occupational Outlook Handbook
E) Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory

Question 78

Providing employees with the opportunity to get away from the day-to-day stresses of their job and acquire new skills and perspectives is known as a(n)

A) transfer.
B) expatriate assignment.
C) sabbatical.
D) externship.
E) downward move.

Question 79

What is a component of a basic career management system?

A) sabbatical
B) goal setting
C) externship
D) team building
E) workplace ethics

Question 80

Phillip is a senior journalist at a news agency. He goes on a temporary leave for six months and travels around different parts of South Asia during his leave. He records his travel experiences in a book and shares it with his colleagues upon his return. During his leave, he was also being paid by the organization. This is an example of a(n)

A) transfer.
B) expatriate assignment.
C) sabbatical.
D) externship.
E) downward move.