april '23 - practice exam

Question 1

What does Human Resource Management mainly involve today? (2 points)

Answer 1

Socio-economic approach :

SOCIAL PERFORMANCE
&
ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE

HRM TODAY

1. Be able to invent methods of SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY REGULATION protocol of solid workplace compliance requirements
2. Enable skill-building and professional TRAINING
3. Be able to enrich projects with a global SOCIO-ECONOMIC approach
4. PLANIFICATION and hence ANTICIPATION
5. ADAPTATION (including flexible work methods)
6. HR as a STRATEGIC BUSINESS PARTNER

Question 2

The Ulrich model “HR Roles in Building a Competitive Organization” was shown in class: describe this model in more detail and what it involves. (2 points)

Answer 2

Graph with 2 axes.

y :
↑ Future/strategic Focus
↓ Day-to-day/operation focus

x :
← Processes
→ People

So, 4 types of HR management:

Future/strategic + processes = Management of strategic human ressources

Future/strategic + people =
Manegement of Transformational change

Day-to-day + Processes = Management of Firm Infracstructure

Day-to-day + people =
Management of employee contribution

Question 3

When performing a future requirements analysis in the strategic workforce planning
process, what needs to be taken into account? (2 points)

Answer 3

Future requirements analysis/HR demand forecast

• Staff required to achieve strategic goals
• Jobs to be filled?
• Skillsets?
  Internal Factors: budget constraints, production changes or orientation/new products &
  services, changes foreseen in organizational structure
  External Factors
• How does the current economy affect our work and our ability to attract new
  employees?
• Competition?
• How do current technological or cultural shifts impact the way we work and the skilled labour we require?
• Social factors?
• How is our community changing or expected to change in the near future?

Question 4

Performance management consists of what exactly and how does it help develop more
productive employees?

What are the advantages/disadvantages of a 360° employee
review? (3 points)

Answer 4

Communication between supervisor and employee, includes clarifying expectations, settings objectives, identifying goals, providing feedback, and reviewing results.

Develops productive employees by :
- establish performance standards
- Comm objectives/standars clearly & concisely (with feedback)
- Measure actuall performance/compare
- initiate corrective action if necessary

360 : get (job perf) feedback not only from manager, but from :
- manager
- peers
- customers
- other direct reports

Advantages :
* difference in feedback (maybe positive from colleagues and customers when manager doesn’t know)
* New feedback (different) / big picture view / general comprehension
* help identify bigger issues
* helps single out wrong negative opinion (when bigger pool of opinions)

Disadvantages :
* Puts pressure of performance / generate stress
* time consuming
* coherence from outputs
* giving opinion on people you don’t know well
* biases like stereotyping

Question 5

What are the motivational factors that need to be considered to retain talent? (2 points)

Answer 5

Motivational factors

1. Passionate about work
2. Career evolution
3. Professional training
4. Collaborate with competent people
5. Reasonably good salary
6. Support from senior management
7. Be recognized
8. Feeling of doing something useful
9. Pride of belonging
10. Good working conditions

Question 6

What is an inclusive work environment, and what is the role of compliance in a more
inclusive organization? (2 points)

Answer 6

Inclusion: when all voices are heard in equal measure & all team members
actively listen to one another
* Each team member has opportunities to grow and can enjoy a psychologically safe environment

HRM usually creates these compliance based mechanisms for inclusion

• Compliance-based mechanisms: the processes an organisation uses to ensure rules are followed and to enforce organisation-level change
• Compliance-based inclusion: formal process built into policies, procedures, regulations, and workplace rules

Question 7

What are the potential sources of psycho-social risks? How can these risks be prevented? (3 points)

Answer 7

Psychosocial risks arise from:
* POOR WORK DESIGN
* Organisation and management
* POORS OCIAL CONTEXT
* UNFAIR TREATMENT

HOW TO PREVENT

• communication (AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE)
• CHANGE MANAGEMENT:
• SMART objectives
• Identify information, social and emotional RESOURCES
• REPORTING SYSTEM in place
• CSE/WORK DOCTOR/management/HR/specialists

Question 8

What is the difference between job design and job enrichment? (2 points)

Answer 8

Job Design
* Task
* How and when tasks are done
* Factors that affect work

Job Enrichment
* Skill Variety
* Task identity
* Task significance

Job enrichment means : a job which…
* Have Greater variety
* Requires higher knowledge skills
* Gives workers more autonomy
* Gives workers more responsibility
* Have chances for personal growth
* Gives meaningful work experience

Question 9

Managing an international team can be problematic: why is this the case?

How can these issues be overcome? (2 points)

Answer 9

Integration across multicultural teams can be difficult in the face of prejudice or negative
cultural stereotypes

(I guess:)

time difference

ways of working

language

work laws/regulations

team building

communication

ways to overcome:

Focus on clear communication

Embrace technology:

Be flexible with scheduling

Build trust and understanding