Deck 8: Developing Employees for Future Success

Question 1

A performance appraisal process must identify causes of the performance discrepancy and develop plans for improving performance.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: A performance appraisal, or formal process for measuring employee performance, is a major component of performance management. The appraisal system must tell employees specifically about their performance problems and ways to improve their performance.

Question 2

Employees on sabbatical generally do not receive their salary or benefits.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: Temporary assignments can include a sabbatical-a leave of absence from an organization to renew or develop skills. Employees on sabbatical often receive full pay and benefits.

Question 3

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

Answer 3

True
Explanation: Research on the validity, reliability, and effectiveness of the MBTI is inconclusive. People who take the MBTI find it a positive experience and say it helps them change their behavior. However, MBTI scores are not necessarily stable over time.

Question 4

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

Question 5

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 6

The temporary cross-functional move is the least common way to use downward moves for employee development.

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

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 11

In goal setting,it is the employee's responsibility to identify the goal and the method of determining his or her progress toward that goal.

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

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 16

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

Question 17

Most employee development occurs through formal education programs.

Question 18

Job rotation increases employees' understanding of different company functions.

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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 22

Protean careers require that employees:

A) look for organizations to provide job security.
B) take responsibility for managing their own careers.
C) be specialized at repetitive tasks.
D) look for organizations to provide a career ladder to climb to higher positions.
E) focus on holding on to their jobs to avoid being laid off.

Question 23

Which of the following 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 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 24

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 25

Identify the correct statement regarding protean careers.

A) Employees in protean careers look for organizations to provide job security.
B) Employees in protean careers take lesser responsibility for managing protean careers than for traditional careers.
C) A protean career is one that does not change frequently.
D) Employees in protean careers look for organizations to provide development opportunities based on the modern psychological contract.
E) Protean careers are characterized by frequent changes due to changes in a person's desired level of compensation.

Question 26

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

A) Training is future oriented, while development is focused on improvement of current job.
B) The use of work experience is high in training but low in development.
C) Participation in training is voluntary but compulsory in development.
D) The goal of training is preparation for the current job, while the goal of development is preparation for changes in the current job.
E) Training is often an ongoing process, while development tends to be a short-term process.

Question 27

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, 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 28

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) counselling sessions
E) feedback

Question 29

The outcome of action planning often takes the form of a career development plan.

Question 30

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 31

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 of the following methods of employee development has the firm used?

A) Externship
B) Formal education
C) Assessment
D) Interpersonal relationships
E) Personality test

Question 32

_____ 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 33

Salt Crumbs general manager,Ricardo,believes that the best way to recruit managers for vacant,top-level positions in the organization is through internal assessment.The positions available include senior project manager,executive project director,and chief executive officer.He feels that an assessment can help him identify potential high performers for these positions from within the organization,without having to consult resources from outside the organization.His supervisor,Meghan,argues that it would be good to have fresh faces in the company,who may suggest new ways to perform old functions.Which of the following can weaken Meghan's argument?

A) New recruits will bring in fresh ideas and will creatively perform a job that was considered monotonous earlier.
B) Ricardo believes that hiring from outside the organization will be beneficial in the long run.
C) Hiring internal resources will decrease unemployment in the region.
D) Highly efficient workers who are already familiar with a company and its policies are better suited for executive positions than new employees.
E) Supervisors find it monotonous socializing with the same crowd every day.

Question 34

Research suggests that managers who participate in programs like Individual Coaching for Effectiveness (ICE)improve their skills and are less likely to be terminated.

Question 35

Succession planning focuses on high-potential employees.

Question 36

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 37

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

Question 38

Thompson Design,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 of the following approaches to employee development is Thompson Design taking?

A) Assessment
B) Formal education
C) Job experiences
D) Interpersonal relationships
E) Counseling

Question 39

Women and minorities often have difficulty finding mentors.

Question 40

_____ 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 41

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,individuals with a Perceiving (P)preference:

A) are decisive and focused on goals.
B) are comfortable with changing a decision.
C) like deadlines.
D) focus more on possibilities and relationships among facts.
E) do not like surprises.

Question 42

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 43

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 44

Which of the following 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 45

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 46

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 47

Identify the correct statement regarding the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

A) It is an appropriate tool for measuring job performance.
B) People who take the MBTI generally do not find it to be an enjoyable experience.
C) MBTI scores are stable over time.
D) The MBTI is a valuable tool for understanding communication styles.
E) Research has concluded that the MBTI is highly valid, reliable, and effective.

Question 48

Which of the following 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 49

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 50

Schram Enterprises,a software company,conducts Inscape's DiSC inventory assessment to evaluate its employees.The assessment reveals that there are very few employees who are diligent at work,calm and composed,even while working with tight deadlines.Which of the following DiSC categories applies to the employees described in the scenario?

A) Influence
B) Conscientiousness
C) Steadiness
D) Dominance
E) Intelligence

Question 51

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,which of the following is true of individuals who are Introverted,Sensing,Thinking,and Judging (known as ISTJs)?

A) They appear to be too task-oriented.
B) They tend to take a lot of time to make decisions.
C) They are perceived as friendly and outgoing.
D) They respond well to unexpected opportunities.
E) They are mostly unorganized and impractical.

Question 52

Hannah Barboza Inc.,a publishing company,regularly assesses employees using different questionnaires.Recent assessments revealed that there were more employees who focused on the relationships between the ideas of the given projects and fewer employees who actually took the time to conduct thorough research on them.Based on these results,the managers were able to correctly assign employees to specific projects for the month.In this scenario,which of the following Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)assessment dichotomies is Hannah Barboza Inc.using to allocate projects?

A) Energy dichotomy
B) Information-gathering dichotomy
C) Decision-making dichotomy
D) Lifestyle dichotomy
E) Initiative-oriented dichotomy

Question 53

Chang works at a leading restaurant.She is usually scared of making any mistakes at her workplace but is very keen on details.She also prioritizes quality in her work.In the context of Inscape's DiSC assessment,she would most likely fall under the behavioral style of _____.

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

Question 54

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 55

Myrtle Flower Company,a retail florist,decides to evaluate its employees after successfully completing one year of business.The method of conducting the assessment includes creating small groups and assigning work to those groups within an allotted time frame.The team members would have to work together in tackling problems that they might face,without a source to whom they can refer any questions.In this scenario,which of the following types of exercises is Myrtle Flower Company conducting?

A) Leader-centered group discussion
B) Paired-up group discussion
C) Leaderless group discussion
D) Team group discussion
E) Time-bound discussion

Question 56

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 57

Which of the following categories 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 58

An offsite location in which multiple raters or evaluators evaluate employees' performance on a number of exercises is known as a(n)_____.

A) development center
B) feedback center
C) control center
D) assessment center
E) counseling center

Question 59

Brenda Myers,the vice president of FSE Inc.,believes in conducting an assessment center meeting at the end of every month.She believes that this is the best way to identify potential high performers to succeed her.Her senior manager suggests the meeting would defeat the purpose of the HR department.Which of the following statements will supports Brenda's belief?

A) Brenda's choice of a successor will not be influenced by personal bias.
B) Brenda does not trust the HR department to find the right successor.
C) An assessment center meeting requires a lot of elaborate and exhaustive methods to identify potential candidates.
D) An assessment center meeting alone is not enough to identify potential managers.
E) An assessment center meeting is an authentic way to identify potential managers because appraisals are standardized.

Question 60

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 61

An organization may 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 him more responsibility.

Question 62

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 63

Allowing employees to take a full-time temporary position at another company is known as a(n):

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

Question 64

Using job experiences for development assumes that:

A) development occurs only when job demands involve obstacles.
B) development occurs only through promotions.
C) development is most likely to occur when employees experience high levels of negative stress in their jobs.
D) development is most likely to occur when an employee's skills and experiences do not entirely match the skills required for the current job.
E) development is most likely to occur when an employee has the prerequisite skills to perform the job.

Question 65

Zenita was a creative writer at The Machner Group before her editor asked her to try out her skills at photography in the company's visuals department.After completing a short course on photography,Zenita joined the visuals department.Which of the following methods of job design did Zenita experience?

A) Job experience
B) Job enlargement
C) Job rotation
D) Job reduction
E) Job revolution

Question 66

How does 360-degree feedback help organizations?

A) Managers can identify subordinates who provide negative feedback.
B) Delivering ratings to a manager provides a simple way for the manager to act on the feedback.
C) Performance improves and behavior changes as a result of participation.
D) It demands very little time, so the raters can focus on other tasks.
E) Managers can easily interpret the results themselves and take necessary action.

Question 67

Which of the following is true of job enlargement?

A) It creates a type of role ambiguity because an employee is not sure how to handle improvements.
B) It allows employers more scope in recruiting more employees.
C) It assigns an employee to a position in a different area of a company.
D) It creates an opportunity for employees to develop new skills and knowledge.
E) It moves employees through a series of job assignments in one or more functional areas.

Question 68

Hollander McKenzie,an employee of Baha Enterprises,is having trouble in his current job.His manager's constant feedback is that he does not maintain consistency in his work.In a meeting with Hollander's manager,the HR team decides to shift him to a department that would not require as much as his current position requires.In this scenario,which of the following approaches to employee development is Hollander experiencing?

A) Promotion
B) Downward move
C) Transfer
D) Sabbatical
E) Job enlargement

Question 69

Which of the following 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) It decreases employees' understanding of different company functions.

Question 70

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 71

Which of the following is true about job rotation?

A) According to research, job rotation typically does not benefit managers.
B) Job rotation is a simple process and rarely requires the involvement or the commitment of top management.
C) The system is restricted to a limited number of key positions and employees within a company.
D) The system ensures that employees understand the specific skills to be developed.
E) Rotation schedules are decided solely on the ability of other departments to accommodate new employees.

Question 72

Which of the following 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 73

Which of the following statements 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 less time from the raters to complete the evaluations.

Question 74

Valarie Robbins,a project manager at Schmitt and Co.,believes that she should create an opportunity for all employees to gain knowledge about the different areas in the organization.She believes that it will make her employees familiar with all departments of the company.Her manager advises her that this strategy could cost the company time and money.Which of the following statements supports Valarie's belief?

A) The economy is currently under recession, and the company is losing profits.
B) This strategy takes up a lot of time, something that the company cannot afford.
C) This strategy will create job dissatisfaction in employees who prefer to stick to one job.
D) Too much knowledge will create confusion when employees keep switching roles.
E) This strategy will allow employees to develop new skills and will keep them empowered.

Question 75

Which of the following 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 76

Which of the following assessment center exercises 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 77

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 78

A move to a job with a similar level of responsibility within the same organization is called a(n):

A) externship.
B) promotion.
C) downward move.
D) upward move.
E) lateral move.

Question 79

In assessment centers,typically,each assessor observes and records _____ employees' behaviors in each exercise.

A) six or seven
B) four or five
C) eight or nine
D) one or two
E) ten or eleven

Question 80

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