Deck 11: Creating and Sustaining High-Performance Organizations

Question 1

Corporate social responsibility is focused on concerns that improve society resulting in reduced profitability and economic returns.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A learning culture creates the conditions in which managers encourage flexibility and experimentation.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

It was recently reported that two-thirds of today's employees feel overwhelmed.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

High-performance organizations need selection methods that concentrate exclusively on identifying technical skills like abilities to perform accounting and engineering tasks.

Question 5

Research suggests that it is more effective to improve HRM practices as a whole than to focus on one or two isolated practices,such as the organization's pay structure or selection system.

Question 6

The audit approach to evaluating HR effectiveness focuses on reviewing the various outcomes of the HR functions.

Question 7

Job satisfaction is always based on an objective and complete measurement of the situation.

Question 8

An exit interview is a meeting with an employee to explore his or her thoughts and feelings about the job and to uncover issues in the effort to prevent that employee from becoming disgruntled.

Question 9

Employee engagement refers to giving employees responsibility and authority to make decisions.

Question 10

Turnover initiated by an employer is called voluntary turnover.

Question 11

It is estimated that the majority of mergers and acquisitions actually reduce shareholder value.

Question 12

According to research,organizations that introduce integrated high-performance work practices usually experience increases in productivity and long-term financial performance.

Question 13

One of the most popular ways to empower employees is to design work so that it can be performed on an individual basis.

Question 14

While high-performance work systems may reduce employee turnover and increase customer satisfaction,they have little impact on outcomes such as efficiency and productivity.

Question 15

An HR dashboard provides an easy-to-scan review of HR performance.

Question 16

Organizations can increase employee empowerment,satisfaction,and engagement by including employees in decisions about rewards and by communicating the basis for decisions about pay.

Question 17

An official written warning is the usual first step in progressive discipline.

Question 18

The usual way to measure satisfaction or engagement is with a survey.

Question 19

An expert system is designed to recommend the same actions that a human expert would in a similar situation.

Question 20

At work,do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? is a question in a popular employee satisfaction survey (Gallup's Twelve Questions).

Question 21

Job withdrawal is characterized by behaviours where an employee tries to avoid the work situation:

A) physically.
B) mentally.
C) emotionally.
D) physically,"mentally," and "emotionally."
E) only "mentally," and "emotionally."

Question 22

Key features of a learning organization include all but one of the following.Name the exception.

A) Knowledge is shared
B) Standardization is widespread
C) Employees are valued
D) Critical systemic thinking is widespread
E) Engages in continuous learning

Question 23

In high-performance work systems,organizational structure promotes:

A) cooperation.
B) learning.
C) continuous improvement.
D) cooperation,"learning," and "continuous improvement."
E) only "learning" and "continuous improvement."

Question 24

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)incorporates which of the following concerns into an organization's values,culture,decision making,strategy,and operations in a way that creates wealth and improves society?

A) Social concerns.
B) Environmental concerns.
C) Economic concerns.
D) Social concerns,"environmental concerns," and "economic concerns."
E) Social concerns and "environmental concerns" only.

Question 25

Engagement has both a(n)___________ and a(n)____________ component and is evidenced through employee behaviours.

A) positive;negative
B) emotional;cognitive
C) engaging;disengaged
D) individual;team
E) appropriate;inappropriate

Question 26

Turnover initiated by employees (when the organization would prefer to keep them)is called:

A) involuntary turnover.
B) dissatisfaction turnover.
C) constructive turnover.
D) voluntary turnover.
E) severance.

Question 27

What is the usual first step in a progressive discipline system?

A) Termination
B) Temporary suspension
C) Official written warning
D) Verbal warning
E) Threat of a temporary suspension

Question 28

Creating a formal discipline process is a primary responsibility of:

A) the human resource department.
B) supervisors and line managers.
C) employees (unions).
D) the government.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 29

What can organizations do to increase job satisfaction?

A) Design complex,meaningful jobs
B) Help employees pursue goals
C) Set satisfactory pay levels
D) Hire employees predisposed to being satisfied
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 30

The more socially and environmentally responsible a company is:

A) the lower profits will be.
B) the lower the company's satisfaction scores will be.
C) the lower the company's employee engagement scores will be.
D) the lower the company's total shareholder returns will be.
E) the more attractive it becomes as an employer.

Question 31

In high-performance work systems,task design:

A) makes jobs narrow in scope and responsibility.
B) makes jobs high in task significance but low in autonomy.
C) makes jobs efficient.
D) encourages high quality results.
E) both "makes jobs efficient" and "encourages high quality results."

Question 32

A manufacturer using the integrated processes of flexible manufacturing technology and just-in-time inventory control in combination with highly trained employees is an example of:

A) traditional management practices.
B) effective job design.
C) a high-performance work system.
D) a learning organization.
E) employee empowerment.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT a means to demonstrate corporate social responsibility?

A) Sustainability and environmental stewardship.
B) Paying higher salaries than competitors.
C) Promoting volunteerism.
D) Providing meaningful work.
E) Having high ethical standards.

Question 34

An organization that supports lifelong learning by enabling all employees to acquire and share knowledge is known as a(n):

A) e-learning organization.
B) adaptive organization.
C) learning organization.
D) next-generation organization.
E) knowledge organization.

Question 35

All of the following costs are associated with involuntary turnover,EXCEPT:

A) recruiting,selecting,and training replacements.
B) lost productivity.
C) lawsuits.
D) workplace violence.
E) higher profits.

Question 36

A meeting of a departing employee with the employee's supervisor and/or human resource specialist to discuss the employee's reasons for leaving is called a(n):

A) stay interview.
B) survey.
C) exit interview.
D) retention bonus.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 37

A high-performance work system:

A) consists of a group of exceptional employees whose productivity is enhanced by collaboration in the workplace.
B) is a combination of people,technology,and organizational structure that makes full use of resources and opportunities in achieving their organizations' goals.
C) is a computer software system designed to help managers solve problems by showing how results vary when the manager alters assumptions or data.
D) is a system used to collect,record,store,analyze,and retrieve data concerning an organization's human resources.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT an element of a high-performance work system?

A) Organizational structure
B) Reward systems
C) Task design
D) Information systems
E) All of the choices are elements of a high-performance work system.

Question 39

People's perception of __________ justice will be enhanced when the following are used: consistent procedures,avoidance of bias,accurate information,a way to correct mistakes,all interests are represented,and ethical standards.

A) outcome
B) procedural
C) interactional
D) social
E) temporary

Question 40

High-performance work systems yield all but one of the following.Identify the exception.

A) High product quality
B) Higher employee turnover
C) Higher productivity
D) Higher profits
E) Satisfied customers

Question 41

Identify and briefly describe the two types of employee turnover.What are the costs associated with each type of employee turnover?

Question 42

A computer system that incorporates the decision rules used by people who are considered to have expertise in a certain area is a(n):

A) decision support system.
B) expert system.
C) E-HRM system.
D) transactional processing system.
E) Human Resource Information System.

Question 43

What is the standard feature of a modern HRIS which stores data in distinct files or fields that can be linked by common elements?

A) Use of expert systems.
B) Use of transaction processing.
C) Use of relational databases.
D) Use of expert systems,"use of transaction processing," and "use of relational databases."
E) Both "use of expert systems" and "use of transaction processing."

Question 44

What is a high-performance work system? Identify and briefly discuss the five elements that make up a high-performance work system.

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a reason for failures associated with mergers and acquisitions?

A) Top management conflict.
B) Combining strategic weaknesses rather than strategic strengths.
C) Failure to win employee support.
D) Involving HR from the start.
E) Loss of competitive position due to extended time to complete the deal.

Question 46

_________ is a type of assessment of HRM effectiveness that involves determining the impact of,or the financial cost and benefits,of a program or practice.

A) HR analytics
B) Customer orientation
C) Business indicators
D) Talent reviews
E) Performance management

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT an example of E-HRM?

A) Employer goes online to retrieve information posted by job applicants.
B) Job applicant completes an online test and the results are transmitted to the employer.
C) Online survey of employee satisfaction or engagement.
D) Employees and managers update performance goals and results online.
E) All of the choices are examples of E-HRM.

Question 48

All of the following are key roles for HR in mergers and acquisitions,EXCEPT:

A) determining target stock price.
B) ensuring leadership talent is in place to lead and implement the transition.
C) identifying key people and taking steps to retain them.
D) assessing the emotional element of how employees feel about the company,leaders,and their openness to the change.
E) examining rewards and work environment factors.

Question 49

Identify four ways that organizations demonstrate corporate social responsibility.

Question 50

In conjunction with your flexible benefits plan,you wish to provide employees with professional advice on how to best allocate their benefit dollars.You should establish a(n):

A) decision support system.
B) expert system.
C) E-HRM system.
D) transactional processing system.
E) transnational HR system.

Question 51

You wish to test a range of assumptions about the availability of a certain skill in the labour market by looking at the impact of the assumptions on the success of different recruiting plans.Which one of the following systems would you use?

A) Decision support system
B) Expert system
C) E-HRM system
D) Human Resource Information System
E) Transactional processing system

Question 52

Decision support systems are:

A) computer software systems designed to help managers solve problems by showing how results vary when the manager alters assumptions or data.
B) computations and calculations used to review and document human resources decisions and practices.
C) systems that incorporate the decision rules used by people who are considered to have expertise in a certain area.
D) the set of topics on which a human resource information system collects and maintains information.
E) using equipment and information processing to perform activities that had been performed by people.

Question 53

What is an HRM audit? Identify at least one business indicator and one customer satisfaction measure for each of the following: Staffing,Training,Learning,& Development,and Overall Effectiveness.

Question 54

Which one of the following is true of E-HRM?

A) E-HRM involves providing HR-related information over the Internet.
B) E-HRM is increasingly taking the form of social media applications.
C) E-HRM may combine company-specific resources on a secure intranet with links to other resources on the Internet.
D) E-HRM involves providing HR-related information over the Internet,"E-HRM is increasingly taking the form of social media applications," and "E-HRM may combine company-specific resources on a secure intranet with links to other resources on the Internet."
E) Only "E-HRM involves providing HR-related information over the Internet" and "E-HRM may combine company-specific resources on a secure intranet with links to other resources on the Internet."

Question 55

Which one of the following terms refers to computations and calculations involved in reviewing and documenting HRM decisions and practices?

A) E-HRM
B) Transaction processing
C) Expert systems
D) Outsourcing
E) Decision support systems

Question 56

New HR applications of technology continue to be introduced.Some of these technologies that have been widely adopted are transaction processing,decision support systems,and expert systems.Demonstrate your understanding of each of these technologies.

Question 57

A formal review of the outcomes of HRM functions based on identifying key HRM functions and measures of organizational performance is (an):

A) HRM analysis.
B) HRM needs assessment.
C) HRM outcome review.
D) HRM audit.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 58

How do organizations measure employee satisfaction and engagement? How are the results used and what advice do you have for organizations in regard to measuring employee satisfaction and engagement?