Deck 5: Planning for People

Question 1

A single type of job analysis can support any HR activity.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Hacker hunters face off against increasingly sophisticated hackers to protect critical financial and security information.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act,it is imperative to distinguish "essential" from "nonessential" functions prior to announcing a job or interviewing applicants.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

During the business planning process,corporate philosophy is part of strategic planning and the long-range perspective.

Question 5

Increasing the number of tasks each employee performs is called job rotation.

Question 6

Structured questionnaires list tasks,behaviors,or both.

Question 7

Strategic Workforce Planning only works for a specific level of employee in an organization.

Question 8

The formal process that connects business strategy to human resource strategy and practices,and ensures that a company has the right people in the right place at the right time and at the right cost is known as strategic workforce planning.

Question 9

The danger of strategic planning is that it may lock companies into a particular vision of the future - one that may not come to pass.

Question 10

Competency models attempt to identify variables related to overall organizational fit and to identify personality characteristics consistent with the organization's vision and mission.

Question 11

Scientific management was the dominant approach to job design in the industrial society of the 20^th century.

Question 12

HR metrics should reflect the key drivers of individual,team,and organizational performance.

Question 13

Strategic workforce plans must flow from,and be consistent with,the overall business and management strategies.

Question 14

When referring to outcomes of job design,the near-term outcomes are referred to as distal,and the longer term outcomes are referred to as proximal.

Question 15

HR concerns become business concerns and are dealt with only when they affect the line manager's ability to function effectively.

Question 16

Job design is the process and outcomes of how work is structured,organized,experienced,and enacted.

Question 17

Ideally,strategic workforce planning becomes an input to business strategy,not simply driven by business strategy,and provides data,analytics and insights to inform executive decision making.

Question 18

As currently practiced,competency modeling can be a substitute for job analysis.

Question 19

A vision statement differs from a mission statement in that it includes both the purpose of the company as well as the basis of competition and competitive advantage.

Question 20

Tactical planning is the set of decisions,processes,and choices that firms make about how to manage their people.

Question 21

Strategic workforce planning focuses on firm-level responses to _____ business issues over multiple time horizons.

A) corporate
B) people-related
C) global
D) community-related

Question 22

How firms compete with each other and how they attain and sustain competitive advantage is the essence of:

A) operations management.
B) financial management.
C) strategic management.
D) data management.

Question 23

_____ is the final step in the process and makes the intended strategy real.

A) Strategy implementation
B) Strategy facilitation
C) Strategy evaluation
D) Strategy summary

Question 24

_____ answers the basic question,"How will we compete?" and typically considers the external environment,customer trends,competitive positioning,and internal strengths and weaknesses.

A) Strategy analysis
B) Strategy formulation
C) The mission statement
D) The vision statement

Question 25

An inventory of present talent is not particularly useful for planning purposes unless it can be analyzed in terms of future workforce requirements.

Question 26

High performance work strategies include which of the following?

A) Worker empowerment,participation,and autonomy.
B) The use of self-managed and cross-functional teams.
C) Answer A only
D) Answers A and B

Question 27

Assuming a firm has a choice,it is better to select workers who do not have the skills immediately but who can be trained to perform competently.

Question 28

Which of the following defines the crucial elements for a strategy's success?

A) Strategy facilitation
B) Strategy implementation
C) Strategy formulation
D) Strategy analysis

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a feature of high-performance work practices?

A) Ensuring that managers maintain responsibility for organizational goals.
B) Worker empowerment,participation and autonomy.
C) The use of self-managed and cross-functional teams.
D) Commitment to superior product delivery and service quality.

Question 30

The ultimate objective of SWP is the most effective use of corporate resources in the interests of the worker and the organization.

Question 31

Succession plans are developed only for management employees.

Question 32

Forecasts of workforce demand are often more subjective than quantitative.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT a high performance work practice?

A) Flat organizational structures.
B) Use of contingent workers.
C) Rigorous staffing and performance management practices.
D) All of the above are high performance work practices.

Question 34

"To be the world's best quick-service restaurant" is an example of a(n):

A) organizational charter.
B) mission statement.
C) code of ethics.
D) vision statement.

Question 35

How does a mission statement differ from a vision statement?

A) The mission statement typically includes a fairly substantial effort to establish some direct line-of-sight between individual competency requirements and the broader goals of an organization.
B) The mission statement includes the purpose of the company as well as the basis of competition and competitive advantage.
C) The mission statement is an effort to anticipate future business and environmental demands on an organization,and to provide qualified people to fulfill that business and satisfy those demands.
D) The mission statement includes the result of an analysis of the future availability of labor and also future labor requirements.

Question 36

A workforce forecast predicts future people requirements based on an analysis of the future availability of labor and future labor requirements.Each of these are tempered by an analysis of external conditions.

Question 37

Quantitative objectives make the control and evaluation process more objective and measure deviations from desired performance more precisely.

Question 38

Accuracy in forecasting the demand for labor varies considerably by firm and by industry type: roughly from a 5 to 35 percent error factor.

Question 39

The recruiting and hiring of new employees are essential activities for virtually all firms,at least over the long run.

Question 40

The Occupational Outlook Handbook,published by the Department of Education,focuses on macro forecasts of aggregate demand for various occupations.

Question 41

Which of the following statements about structured questionnaires is true?

A) They list either tasks or behaviors but not both.
B) Tasks focus on how a job is done.
C) This is an ability-requirements approach.
D) Behaviors focus on what gets done.

Question 42

Desired outcomes from job design include:

A) proximal outcomes such as motivation,satisfaction,and learning.
B) distal outcomes such as effective performance,minimizing withdrawal behaviors and stress.
C) maximizing creativity and employee health and well being.
D) All of the above.

Question 43

One advantage of this job analysis method is that it focuses directly on what people do in their jobs,and thus it provides insight into job dynamics.

A) Critical incidents
B) Structured questionnaires
C) Interviews
D) Job performance

Question 44

An overall written summary of task requirements =

A) job description.
B) job analysis.
C) job design.
D) job evaluation.

Question 45

Distortion of information either as a result of honest misunderstanding or as a result of purposeful misrepresentation is a real possibility in this job analysis method.

A) Job performance
B) Observation
C) Critical incidents
D) Interviews

Question 46

This method is generally cheaper and quicker to administer than other methods.

A) Structured questionnaires
B) Relationships with other persons
C) Job context
D) Critical incidents

Question 47

In this method of job analysis,an analyst actually performs the job under study to get firsthand exposure to what it demands.

A) Job performance
B) Observation
C) Interview
D) Critical incidents

Question 48

All of the following statements about competency models are true EXCEPT:

A) they attempt to identify variables related to overall organizational fit.
B) their level of rigor and documentation is more likely to enable them to withstand the close scrutiny of a legal challenge.
C) they attempt to identify personality characteristics consistent with the organization's vision.
D) their focus is on the full range of knowledge,skills,abilities,and other characteristics that are needed for effective performance on the job,and that characterize exceptional performers.

Question 49

Job enrichment is:

A) moving employees from one relatively simple job to another after short time periods ranging from an hour to a day.
B) increasing the number of tasks each employee performs.
C) increasing each worker's level of accountability and responsibility.
D) the process of obtaining information about jobs.

Question 50

Which method of job analysis uses vignettes comprising brief actual reports that illustrate particularly effective or ineffective worker behaviors?

A) Interview
B) Observation
C) Job performance
D) Critical incidents

Question 51

Job enlargement is:

A) the process of obtaining information about jobs.
B) increasing each worker's level of accountability and responsibility.
C) moving employees from one relatively simple job to another after short time periods ranging from an hour to a day.
D) increasing the number of tasks each employee performs.

Question 52

Since all employees do not experience work in the same way,achieving both proximal and distal outcomes are affected by how each individual experiences:

A) meaningfulness and responsibility.
B) confidence in their ability to do the job well.
C) their ability to grow in their job and craft their own style.
D) all of the above.

Question 53

All of the following are examples that the ADA defines as "reasonable" accommodation efforts EXCEPT:

A) reassigning a worker who becomes disabled to a vacant position.
B) acquiring or modifying equipment or devices.
C) restructuring a job so that someone else does the essential tasks a person with a disability cannot do.
D) modifying work hours so that a person with a disability can commute during off-peak periods.

Question 54

Which of the following focuses on the process and outcomes of how work is structured,organized,experienced,and enacted?

A) Job design
B) Job analysis
C) Job description
D) Job specification

Question 55

Job specifications:

A) should reflect a profile of the ideal job incumbent.
B) should reflect minimally acceptable qualifications for job incumbents.
C) are an overall written summary of task requirements.
D) are the extent to which the job requires the employee to use a number of different skills and abilities and to draw on a range of knowledge.

Question 56

In this job analysis method,because the worker is also his/her own observer,he/she can report on activities that would not be observed often.

A) Critical incidents
B) Interviews
C) Observation
D) Job performance

Question 57

Moving employees from one relatively simple job to another after short time periods ranging from an hour to a day is:

A) job design.
B) job rotation.
C) job enlargement.
D) job specification.

Question 58

What is the advantage of using job performance as a job analysis method?

A) This method can provide information about standard as well as nonstandard and mental work.
B) Direct exposure to jobs can provide a richer,deeper understanding of job requirements than workers' descriptions of what they do.
C) With this method there is exposure to actual job tasks as well as to the physical,environmental,and social demands of the job.
D) This method focuses directly on what people do in their jobs,and thus it provides insight into job dynamics.

Question 59

Proximal outcomes are:

A) long-term such as effective performance,minimizing with drawl behaviors and stress.
B) near term such as motivation,satisfaction,and learning.
C) is increasing each worker's level of accountability and responsibility.
D) is increasing the number of tasks each employee performs.

Question 60

______ is(are)the process and outcomes of how work is structured,organized,experienced,and enacted.

A) Operational planning
B) Forecasting requirements
C) Job design
D) Action plans

Question 61

What are the four interrelated activities that together comprise a workforce planning system?

Question 62

List three methods of job analysis and discuss the pros and cons of each method.

Question 63

What do the projections of external labor market conditions and estimates of the supply of labor help organizations in both the private and public sector do?

Question 64

What are the important outcomes that organizations seek to achieve in the design of jobs and work?

Question 65

List at least five common uses of a talent inventory.

Question 66

The purpose of workforce forecasting is to estimate _____ at some future time period.

A) production costs
B) the need for talent inventories
C) labor requirements
D) the need for tactical planning

Question 67

At a general level,what are the features that should be included in high-performance work practices?

Question 68

Perhaps the simplest type of internal supply forecast is the:

A) Delphi technique.
B) succession plan.
C) talent inventory.
D) business strategy.

Question 69

This job analysis method is often time consuming and expensive to develop,and such an impersonal approach may have adverse effects on respondent cooperation and motivation.

A) Critical incidents
B) Observation
C) Job performance
D) Structured questionnaires

Question 70

What is the disadvantage of using critical incidents as a job analysis method?

A) Because the events describe particularly effective or ineffective behavior,it may be difficult to develop a profile of average job behavior.
B) This method is inappropriate for jobs hazardous to perform.
C) It is inappropriate for jobs that can be learned in a short period of time.
D) Rapport between analyst and respondent is not possible unless the analyst is present to explain items and clarify misunderstandings.

Question 71

What are the problems associated with demand forecasting?

Question 72

All of the following are key steps to take to avoid a future crisis in leadership succession EXCEPT:

A) focus on an organization's future needs,not past accomplishments.
B) ensure that the CEO understands the importance of the task and makes it a priority.
C) provide broad exposure.
D) discourage differences of opinion.

Question 73

What is a talent inventory and how is it useful in human resource planning?

Question 74

A _____ predicts future people requirements based on an analysis of the future availability of labor and future labor requirements,tempered by an analysis of external conditions.

A) workforce forecast
B) Control and evaluation
C) Strategic unemployment
D) Talent inventory

Question 75

What is the purpose of control and evaluation?

Question 76

Strategic workforce planning becomes an input to business strategy by:

A) uncovering significant differences among business units or locations.
B) providing metrics and other tools to support business decisions.
C) enabling leaders to compare the long-term implications of alternative business scenarios and HR options.
D) All of the above

Question 77

Both internal and external _____ forecasts depend primarily on the behavior of some business factor to which human resource needs can be related.

A) demand
B) supply
C) resource
D) market

Question 78

Describe several of the high performance work practices.

Question 79

_______ is the formal process that connects business strategy to human resource strategy and practices,ensuring the right people are in the right place at the right time and cost.

A) Job Analysis
B) Job Design
C) Job Endangerment
D) Strategic Workforce Planning

Question 80

Accuracy in forecasting the demand for labor varies considerably by firm and by industry type,roughly from a _____ percent error factor.

A) 1 to 3
B) 2 to 10
C) 5 to 35
D) 10 to 40