Deck 1: The Training and Development Process

Question 1

One of the reasons for the underinvestment in training and development by Canadian companies is the perception that training, learning, and development expenditures represent a cost rather than an investment.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Company ABC decides to provide selected employees with cultural sensitivity training as it contemplates opening an office in Shanghai, China. This is a clear example of strategic training.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The ISD model of training and development has three major steps: needs analysis, design, and delivery.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

An organization's learning and training strategy most often will NOT directly influence its training and development programs.

Question 5

Development is described as a planned effort to develop employees' knowledge, skills, and abilities to help employees perform better at their current jobs.

Question 6

Restructuring, downsizing, and reengineering often lead to changes in employees' tasks and responsibilities and so necessitate the need for training.

Question 7

When applying the ISD model of training and development, the process often begins with the identification of a concern.

Question 8

Components of a performance management process usually identify training and development needs of individuals leading to concrete plans for development of skills, knowledge, and abilities.

Question 9

A high-performance work system may be described as a specific combination of human resource practices that maximizes the knowledge, skills, abilities, flexibility, and commitment of employees.

Question 10

Organizations that incorporate training bonds into their training programs may have the ability to recover some of their training costs.

Question 11

Quebec is the only province in Canada to have mandatory training laws for companies with net profits greater than $1 million.

Question 12

One of the intrinsic benefits of training and development is the benefits realized by society.

Question 13

Performance management is best categorized as a single event often associated with an annual performance appraisal process.

Question 14

Unlike many industrialized countries, Canada has NOT experienced in any meaningful way the notion of "skills mismatch."

Question 15

The main goal of the Edmonton Police Service's mental health program was to improve interactions between police officers and mentally ill individuals. This is clearly an example of a training initiative, NOT a development program.

Question 16

The key environmental factors that drive human resources and training and development within an organization include technology, global competition, the labour market, and organizational strategy.

Question 17

SMART goals are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and have a time frame.

Question 18

A needs analysis typically has three levels including an organizational analysis, a departmental analysis, and a person analysis.

Question 19

According to research presented in the textbook, a negative relationship exists between per-employee expenditures on training and development and employee productivity levels.

Question 20

The trend toward flatter organizational structures is causing some element of blurriness in what constitutes traditional roles associated with management functions.

Question 21

If an organization is concerned about the knowledge, skills, and abilities of its employees, what should be the goal of its training and development programs?

A) human capital
B) social capital
C) work engagement
D) performance management

Question 22

What is the term for the process of establishing performance expectations, designing interventions and programs to improve performance, and monitoring the success of interventions and programs?

A) performance review
B) performance management
C) performance evaluation
D) performance system

Question 23

Which Canadian agency's report concluded that continuous learning and the transfer of knowledge are key factors in fostering creativity and promoting organizational excellence?

A) Toronto Transit Commission
B) Conference Board of Canada
C) Alberta Government
D) Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Question 24

Work engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and attention.

Question 25

More than half (57 percent) of Canadian organizations provide training to their employees.

Question 26

Which of the following statements best describes the average investment in training and development in 2017 as a percentage of payroll in Canada compared to 2015?

A) It is the same.
B) It is much higher.
C) It is lower.
D) It is a little higher.

Question 27

According to the textbook, what is the number-one attraction and retention tool for many organizations?

A) compensation
B) training
C) bonuses
D) development

Question 28

Several studies cited in the textbook appear to link training efforts by organizations and several important organizational outcomes. Which statement is congruent with conclusions in these studies?

A) training often leads to higher turnover and gross margins
B) training has a positive impact on overall customer satisfaction and profit levels
C) training is not linked to increases in productivity
D) training has a positive effect on an organization's competitiveness but no impact on performance

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a benefit to society associated with training and development?

A) higher levels of education
B) greater economic prosperity
C) better work-life balance
D) improved standard of living

Question 30

The performance management process includes several interrelated steps. What is the first step?

A) developing performance goals
B) deciding on the process to train and develop employees
C) assigning appropriate rewards
D) developing standard rating forms

Question 31

Which statement best describes the current state of productivity and innovation in Canada?

A) Canada rates very high in productivity metrics globally
B) Canada lags its major global competitors in productivity and innovation
C) Canada tends to rank high in productivity but low in innovation across most business sectors
D) Canada has seen a recent sharp increase both in productivity and innovation across all business sectors

Question 32

Social capital has to do with relationships within an organization and between members of the organization and external stakeholders.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is congruent with the notion of SMART goals?

A) SMART goals should have clear performance or behaviour criteria
B) SMART goals must address extrinsic motivators
C) SMART goals should be easily attained
D) SMART goals should not be time bound

Question 34

Human capital refers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities of an organization's employees.

Question 35

What did a study on the productivity of Canadian workers find?

A) Most believe they are less productive at work than they could be.
B) Very few believe they are less productive at work than they could be.
C) Half believe they are less productive at work than they could be.
D) All believe they are less productive at work than they could be.

Question 36

Which of the following are two extrinsic benefits training will give an employee?

A) an improved marketability and greater job security
B) a greater sense of self-efficacy and a sense of accomplishment
C) a more positive attitude toward their employer and their own confidence
D) a greater sense of engagement toward customers and fellow employees

Question 37

According to the textbook, which group of employees had the highest average number of training hours per employee in 2017?

A) technical employees
B) front-line employees
C) government employees
D) senior management and executives

Question 38

Studies consistently conclude that the majority of organizations do not use the ISD model, opting for the more traditional ADDIE training and development model.

Question 39

According to data provided in the textbook, which province in Canada has a law that requires employers to invest in training and development?

A) Alberta
B) Quebec
C) Ontario
D) Manitoba

Question 40

Which of the following is a major goal of the Edmonton Police Service as described in theChapter-opening vignette?

A) to improve the productivity of police officers
B) to improve the confidence level of police officers when dealing with criminal elements in the community
C) to link training programs to the department's strategic plan
D) improve interactions between police officers and mentally ill individuals in the community

Question 41

Why does Canada's productivity growth increasingly lag behind its main competitors?

A) Canadian organizations do not have the same economies of scale.
B) Canadian organizations do not invest enough resources in training and development.
C) Canadian organizations do not follow the voluntary training laws in Canada.
D) Canadian companies have access to a large source of skilled labour.

Question 42

What was one of the key findings of a report regarding training legislation in Quebec?

A) The legislation had little impact on the ways Quebec firms deliver training.
B) Fewer companies planned and implemented training programs.
C) Quebec leads the national average in training participation rates.
D) The participation rate in workplace training increased, making it the fastest growth rate in Canada.

Question 43

What tends to result when an organization subscribes to strategic human resource management whereby it has greater alignment between its HR practices and its strategies?

A) superior performance
B) greater work-life balance
C) enhanced efficiencies
D) exemplary quality

Question 44

In what year did the government of Quebec introduce and pass the Act to Foster the Development of Manpower Training?

A) 1975
B) 1985
C) 1995
D) 2005

Question 45

When it comes to productivity among the G7 countries, how does Canada rank?

A) as the second most productive country
B) as the least productive country
C) as the third least productive country
D) as the second least productive country

Question 46

Which of the following key environmental factors drive training and development?

A) change
B) values
C) selection
D) culture

Question 47

You are conducting a needs analysis, gathering data and information on three related yet distinct levels to determine what kind of training is needed in your organization. In which level of the needs analysis are you likely to find the answer?

A) task analysis
B) ADDIE analysis
C) person analysis
D) organizational analysis

Question 48

If an organization wants employees to be more likely to participate in training, what should it focus on?

A) the time involved in attending the training
B) alignment between the training and the strategic direction of the organization
C) the benefits that employees receive for attending training
D) the potential for improvement in job performance

Question 49

What should be the most important internal or external factor influencing training and development programs in organizations?

A) demographics
B) the competitive nature of the industry
C) corporate strategy
D) leadership and managerial characteristics

Question 50

If an organization is concerned about improving employees' work engagement, what three factors will this involve?

A) vigour, determination, attention
B) vigour, dedication, attention
C) vigour, dedication, absorption
D) vigour, determination, absorption

Question 51

Which of the following statements regarding the "1 percent training law" is correct?

A) regardless of size, all companies in Quebec have to contribute to the 1 percent fund
B) information about the participation of employees in training must be documented, and detailed information must be kept on file
C) the law applies only to companies with annual revenues of $1 million or more
D) the law applies only to organizations registered to do business across Canada

Question 52

Which of the following statements regarding the instructional systems design (ISD) model is congruent with the material presented in the textbook?

A) it is an irrational and scientific process
B) it consists of four main steps: needs analysis, design, delivery, and evaluation
C) it is a much more complex model when compared with the streamlined ADDIE model
D) its first step attempts to answer the question "is training needed and is it the best solution?"

Question 53

Technology developments in the external environment influence the training needs within an organization because employees will require technology training for what reason?

A) to be marketable for other jobs
B) to capture efficiencies associated with improved technology
C) to satisfy their own intrinsic benefits
D) to meet global demands

Question 54

If an organization is concerned about the relationships between members of the organization and external stakeholders, what should be the goal of its training and development programs?

A) human capital
B) social capital
C) work engagement
D) performance management

Question 55

Organization XYZ decides to expand rapidly by acquiring other businesses. What is most likely to be the focus of XYZ's strategic training programs?

A) management of mergers and acquisitions
B) management training
C) quality of service training
D) leadership development

Question 56

Which of the following would be considered part of a human resources system?

A) organizational goals
B) corporate leadership
C) laws
D) performance appraisals

Question 57

Which of the following is impacted by high-performance work systems?

A) employees' compensation
B) employers' motivation
C) employees' motivation
D) community involvement

Question 58

According to the textbook, training programs based on the instructional systems design model of training and development fail when organizations do which of the following?

A) fail to employ learning principles
B) ignore an important step in the process
C) implement training programs that are too complex
D) over Bloom's Evaluate their training programs

Question 59

What would be a way to ensure that post-secondary students have the skills required by organizations when they graduate to help close the skills gap?

A) training and development
B) performance management
C) work-integrated learning
D) on-the-job training

Question 60

You have been asked to debate the notion of high-performance work systems focusing on measurable results organizations should expect to receive from adopting such a philosophy. Which of the following points would most likely be central to your debate?

A) an increase in employee turnover, higher sales, and higher productivity
B) superior productivity and improved non-financial performance
C) improved financial performance and superior productivity
D) lower turnover, higher labour costs, and superior financial performance

Question 61

Identify and briefly describe three organizational benefits of training and development, providing an example for each.

Question 62

Identify and briefly describe the steps involved in the performance management process. Why is it important for organizations to apply these steps when deciding on training and development programs?

Question 63

Describe the factors that influence high-performance work systems (HPWS).

Question 64

67Chapter 1 of the textbook introduces the reader to the ISD model and identifies three distinct yet interrelated steps. All of these activities are likely to have some element of cost associated with their execution. Which of those three steps would you suggest to be the most difficult to justify to senior management? (Assume you need budget approval.)

Question 65

Differentiate between the terms training and development.

Question 66

Identify and briefly describe the three steps in the instructional systems design (ISD) model. Why is it important that organizations apply these three steps when contemplating launching training programs?

Question 67

Define and explain the term strategic human resources management (SHRM).

Question 68

You are a training specialist working for the Edmonton Police Service. Your boss asks you to develop evaluation criteria for the "mental health training program." Using the Edmonton Police Service vignette in the textbook, what would you likely use as criteria for evaluating the program?

Question 69

What is work-integrated learning and what is its purpose? What can government and organizations do to provide work-integrated learning programs?