Learning & Development Flashcards
People
Progression through a series of employment stages characterized by relatively unique issues, themes, and tasks
Career development
Process of broadening a job’s scope by adding different tasks to the job
Job enlargement
Focused, interactive communication and guidance intended to develop and enhance on-the-job performance, knowledge, or behavior
Coaching
Process by which employees are provided with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) specific to a task or job
Training
Process of delivering educational or instructional programs to locations away from a classroom or central site
Distance learning
Acquisition and/or transfer of knowledge within an organization through activities or processes that may occur at several organizational levels; ability of an organization to learn from its mistakes and adjust its strategy accordingly
Organizational learning
Career development programs that identify meaningful career paths for professional and technical people outside traditional management roles
Dual career ladders
Training provided to employees at the work site utilizing demonstration and performance of job tasks
On-the-job training (OJT)
Using the Internet to conduct meetings and give presentations to an audience who has joined the meeting remotely
Webconferencing
Process of increasing a job’s depth by adding responsibilities to the job
Job enrichment
Form of webconferencing where a presenter facilitates communication of material or information to an audience in real time
Webinar
Preparing, implementing, and monitoring employees’ career paths, with a primary focus on the goals and needs of the organization
Career management
People who learn best through a hands-on approach; also called tactile learners
Kinesthetic learners
Actions and activities that individuals perform in order to give direction to their work lives
Career planning
Planned approach to learning that includes a combination of instructor-led training, self-directed study, and/or on-the-job training
Blended learning
Movement between different jobs
Job rotation
Ability to influence, guide, inspire, or motivate a group or person to achieve their goals
Leadership
Assessment tools that present prospective leaders with sample situations and problems they might encounter in a work environment
Situation judgment tests (SJTs)
Instructional design model that works to gain feedback and build models early in the process; generally has three phases: preparation, iterative design, and iterative development
Successive approximation model (SAM)
Instructional design model based on concept that training should be tightly focused on specific performance measures that the organization has determined are important
Action mapping
Organization characterized by a capability to adapt to changes in environment
Learning organization
Instructional systems design framework consisting of five steps that guide the design and development of learning programs
ADDIE model
Relationship in which one person helps guide another’s development
Mentoring
Training and professional development programs targeted at assisting management- and executive-level employees in developing the skills, abilities, and flexibility required to deal with a variety of situations
Leader development
Related to technical skills training; often a partnership between employers and unions
Apprenticeship
Activities that focus on preparing employees for future responsibilities while increasing their capacity to perform their current jobs
Developmental activities
System that holds course content information and has the capability of tracking and managing employee course registrations, career development, and other employee development activities
Learning management system (LMS)
People who learn best by relying on their sense of sight
Visual learners
Electronic media delivery of educational and training materials, processes, and programs
E-learning
People who learn best by relying on their sense of hearing
Auditory learners
Learning/development programs offered initially in a controlled environment with a segment of the target audience
Pilot programs
Document that guides employees toward their goals for professional development and growth
Individual development plan (IDP)
Document that guides employees toward their goals for professional development and growth
Assessment centers
How might an HR professional design a learning activity to best meet the needs of a kinesthetic learner?
Incorporating an interactive group presentation
A kinesthetic learner is a hands-on learner. This type of learner learns best by doing rather than watching or listening. Putting together a presentation allows the learner to play an active role in the learning.
When designing training for any new technology system, which activities will have the greatest impact on knowledge retention?
Demonstration and structured exercises
When learning new software, it is most important to see how the software works and practice using it. A demonstration of each of the software functions, followed by hands-on practice, is an effective way to teach employees the skills that are required on the job.
HR must create training so employees know where to find information and guidance on how to respond to compliance and ethical dilemmas. Which training approach will be most effective?
Present challenging ethical situations and enable employees to work together to analyze their responses
Having the employees work together to analyze their responses will require them to research answers. This will help employees anticipate problems and find answers.
After a project failure how can an HR leader help the organization develop a more agile and risk-tolerant environment?
Discussing the failure as a learning opportunity
Discussing the failure as a learning opportunity is characteristic of a learning organization. Identifying the failed project doesn’t create a learning opportunity, and identifying and addressing mistakes individually just focuses on what the people involved in the project did wrong. Disciplining only if there is a financial impact would create more risk aversion.
What should an international organization consider when choosing instructors to execute enterprise-wide training initiatives?
The ability to appeal to all groups and navigate cultural norms
While credibility, comfortability with technology, and consulting skills are all important when selecting an instructor, with the organization being international in scope and hoping the instructor will be able to train across all areas necessitates that the instructor be skilled at approaching the group in a manner that will appeal to all groups while offending none.
An organization that prides itself on developing leaders expands into a new international location for the first time. Company leadership directs the HR director to implement the existing leadership development program immediately in the new locations to help create strong local leaders so that the expansion is more likely to succeed. How should the HR director respond?
Share that applying the leadership program without alterations to a new culture may not succeed
Organizational leadership competencies and values must be presented in the way they are demonstrated and reflected in the local culture; as such, a leadership model should not be directly applied from one culture to another. Thus, sharing that applying the leadership program without alterations to a new culture may not succeed is the best option.
An HR VP is looking to implement a program to enhance career development in the organization’s employee base. Feedback in a recent employee survey indicated that employees don’t know very much about the function of other positions within the company, which limits the ability of employees to explore career paths that are not immediately related to their current position. Which program should the HR VP implement?
Job rotation
Job rotation is a career development method that rotates employees between different positions within the company on a regular basis. It enhances career development opportunities while addressing the employee feedback about lack of awareness of other positions in the company, and it allows employees to better explore career paths that may interest them within the company.
What is true regarding global leadership development?
Leadership theories developed in one culture cannot be applied indiscriminately to other cultures
Leadership theories are not universally applicable and cannot be indiscriminately applied from one nation or culture to another.
A company’s learning and development (L&D) division is tasked with creating, developing, and implementing an executive leadership program across the organization. What should be the L&D division’s first step in creating the executive leadership program?
Review the organization’s strategic plan
Reviewing the organization’s strategic plan identifies and describes the organization’s current state, its desired future state, and how it intends to achieve that future state where the new program is aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and strategic direction. The other three answer choices do not provide a comprehensive overview and analysis of the organization’s past, present, and future goals, objectives, and strategies.
Which leadership assessment tools offer the highest usefulness and validity at the lowest cost?
Situation judgment tests
Work sample tests, situation judgment tests (SJTs), and other tools that require demonstrations of leadership exhibit high validity. However, these also have the highest development costs and, except for SJTs, the highest administration costs.
A manufacturing organization is struggling with employee engagement and with filling open management positions across its manufacturing facilities. Part of its struggle in filling open positions in management arises from a requirement that floor managers have detailed knowledge of the processes associated with each position and manufacturing line in the building the manager works in. HR is tasked with addressing these issues. What action should HR take?
Develop a training and development program using job rotation
The best option to address all identified issues would be to develop a training and development program using job rotation. Job rotation allows employees to learn multiple different skills throughout an area, which can both increase job engagement and satisfaction while also providing a larger pool of trained candidates that could be promoted to manager.
In Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline, which discipline discusses our assumptions that influence how we understand the world and take action?
Mental models
Of the five disciplines, mental models are our deeply ingrained assumptions that influence how we understand the world and how we take action
The leader of an HR function is committed to developing a strong pipeline of future HR leaders. One employee with leadership potential is a mid-level manager. What type of development opportunity would prepare this employee to become a senior-level manager?
Acting as HR liaison to the finance function
As a leader develops, activity becomes more strategic, visible, and innovative. Acting as liaison to another function expands responsibility and provides opportunity for problem solving. Providing strategic alignment of existing policies would be an opportunity to develop mid-level leadership competencies. Conducting a process analysis is a good way to develop lower-level competencies. Shadowing an executive provides knowledge but not an opportunity to develop a competency.
Which is a trend in career development that an HR team leader must consider before engaging in career planning with team members?
The employee is expected to assume greater individual responsibility for career development
Greater individual responsibility is a career development trend that requires both the employer and the employee to collaborate. Career paths today may involve nontraditional paths and jobs outside an employee’s original work area. Employees are being asked to assume more responsibility more quickly, especially in emerging markets.
Which option is an example of what leaders should do to establish a culture that fosters career development?
Place value on and reward managers and supervisors who help employees with career planning
By placing value on and rewarding managers who help employees with career planning, leaders can help encourage a positive outlook and create importance around career development. While career development can assist with retention, it is a separate aspect of the business and should be treated separately. Hiring solely from internal sources, regardless of qualifications, may damage organizational performance. Leaders’ own individual development plans wouldn’t necessarily illustrate the importance of regular employees creating one and may contain personal or confidential information unfit for sharing with the larger audience.
Which term is best described as traditionally higher-level leadership responsibilities being transferred to leaders at lower levels?
Task mitigation
Task migration occurs when traditionally higher-level leadership responsibilities are transferred to leaders at lower levels. This is partly a function of the trend toward flatter organizations, but it is also due to the greater frequency and complexities of challenges. What was typically handled by senior leaders in the past has been handed down to junior leaders so the former can focus on even more complex issues.
A global organization invests heavily in learning and development. It has country-specific learning and development departments, each creating its own programs, all of which seem highly successful. However, the HR VP notices that training issues common to certain countries do not appear to affect other countries. Which statement likely represents the cause of the discrepancy?
The organization focusing on each individual part of the learning and development system instead of the global system
By focusing on the parts of the global system instead of the whole system, the organization is susceptible to divisional silos preventing the sharing of information. A global focus would help ensure consistency between the learning and development efforts from country to country, helping to prevent issues that have already been solved and addressed in one location from occurring in other locations.
What statement about career development is true?
Career development is most effective when aligned with the needs of the organization
Career development is most effective when an employee’s career goals and objectives support the mission of the organization. Employees need to be active participants in their own career development, and supervisors need to give active support to their employees’ plans for career development. Having only a verbal agreement is not acceptable when formulating an employee’s career development plan.
A company is interested in enhancing knowledge retention while providing “boomerang” employees the opportunity to reconnect with the company. Which information sharing system would best fit a company’s goal of enhancing organizational retention?
Alumni network
An alumni network is an example of a softer system that will assist with knowledge retention and provide networking opportunities to keep departed employees engaged with the organization, setting up the potential for the return of those former employees. While both mentoring and communities of practice are also examples of softer systems for organizational knowledge retention, they would not be as effective at generating opportunities and interest for former employees to rejoin the organization. Learning management systems are primarily designed to deliver needed training to current employees, which may be distinct from the goal of organizational knowledge retention.
Which disadvantage should an HR director of a small organization consider when determining whether to implement a dual career ladder?
Potential effectiveness of the program due to the organization’s size
While each option may be a drawback that occurs with dual career ladders, the program may be entirely ineffective if the organization is too small or too revenue-restricted to successfully implement it. Resistance, resentment, and sheltering of low-performing managers can all be addressed and mitigated when rolling out the program.
Which type of needs analysis should a training director undertake to identify gaps between actual and desired transactional output in a customer service call center?
Task
A task-level needs analysis compares job duty and task requirements to employee knowledge and skills to identify areas requiring improvement
Which factor has the greatest impact on maintaining peak performance?
Challenging assignments
Research has shown that high-potential employees perform at their peak in new assignments within two years and performance declines if they are not given new and more challenging assignments.
What statement best describes the 70 in the 70-20-10 rule of leadership development?
70% of managers time must be spent on challenging assignments
The 70-20-10 rule proposes that to develop leaders it is important to engage them in challenging assignments (70% of the time), developmental relationships (20% of the time), and coursework and training (10% of the time).
To improve low yield rates, a talent acquisition team must take a proactive approach to recruiting. The team was trained on a new process for sourcing and screening applicants, but many say they don’t have time for the additional tasks. What should their manager do first to address this?
Emphasize the benefits of the new process for the team members
Emphasizing the benefits of the new process is correct because explaining to team members how the new process benefits them (the “What’s in it for me?” factor of learning initiatives) will encourage the employees to begin using the process. If the employees don’t trust that the learning is worthwhile, giving them more time or expressing confidence in them is unlikely to change their minds. Working with the trainer is incorrect because the employees were already told the information and are not using it; therefore, more training would be a waste of resources.
How should an HR director start a leader development needs assessment?
Assess current leaders in relation to organizational strategy and goals
For a needs assessment, the HR professional must start with assessing current leaders in relation to strategic goals and objectives. Competency development is addressed after the initial assessment is completed and used for comparison to determine gaps. 360-degree assessments and interviews are common types of competency assessments that support developing competencies in identified gaps.
Which conditions encourage a higher retention rate for adult learners?
Practicing what they have learned
Immediate use of knowledge increases the retention rate of that knowledge to nearly 90%. Organizations will benefit the most from their investment in development programs if they provide opportunities for employees to immediately apply what they have learned to their work. For example, an employee who attends a class on project management software should attend the class as close to a project start as possible.
What tool uses in-BASK®et tests, role plays, and psychological inventories to gauge the abilities of a company’s leadership team?
Assessment centers
Only assessment centers are integrations of in-BASK®et tests, role plays, and psychological inventories.
Too frequently, a survey response from a training course is that the information is not pertinent to the employee’s job and that the course seems more like a pet project of a particular manager. Often there is also no practical component for experiential learning. What is the best response to these issues?
Use action mapping to form a project goal linked to a specific problem
Action mapping is a technique proposed by Cathy Moore in response to Moore’s observation that learning and development tend to participate in information dumps, where a stakeholder has information that they wish to share and requests that training be built around that information. Action mapping instead ensures that training is tightly focused on specific performance measures. The process includes a step where one identifies how to help people practice the skills and behaviors that have been identified.
A company has a diverse workforce but has not seen a diversification of top management ranks. Which program would be most successful in addressing this problem?
Mentoring program
A mentorship program may identify potential leaders from diverse backgrounds and then focus on preparing them for top management positions through mentoring relationships with current leaders
An organization wants to train a high-potential employee and assess their readiness to promote, but it is not possible to put the employee directly into the actual job role before the promotion decision is made. What training delivery approach is well suited for this situation?
Simulation
When an employee cannot be placed into an actual job role (as would be achieved through job rotation), a simulation can replicate certain aspects of the job and provide the opportunity for the employee to practice skills or knowledge. Simulations also may allow the organization to gauge an employee’s performance and readiness to step into a role before deciding to offer a promotion or transfer.
Which describes the environment where adults learn best?
Debating ideas is encouraged
In an environment focused on adult learners, the participants are resources to each other and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. The instructor should encourage debating and challenging of ideas and create a participative and collaborative environment.
A sales organization has set as a short-term goal that all sales team members achieve a standard level of proficiency. The HR director has been tasked with implementing a sales development training program. What step should the director take first?
Work with the sales manager to define the benchmark for sales team performance
The first step in any overall training plan is to analyze the gap between desired and current performance. This means that HR and the sales manager must define a standard level of proficiency. Then they can determine the KSAs required for sales representatives to achieve that standard of performance. Next, objectives can be set, delivery constraints and vendor qualifications identified, and learning designed.
Which factor is most important to consider when an organization is seeking to globalize its leadership development program?
The culture in each country as it affects how leaders emerge
The culture of each country impacts the adoption of the program. Examining the organization’s internal culture is not enough; it is important to also consider global leadership concepts. Leadership development programs should be accessible to all, not just those who have the potential to assume leadership roles. Executive buy-in at each location is incorrect because changes may have to be made to accommodate local norms.
An organization is designing a leader development program. Which would be the most important experience to include?
Project assignment that is difficult and has some risk of failure
According to the Center for Creative Leadership, challenging assignments with a risk of failure are more important to developing leaders than opportunities to develop relationships or attend training. These assignments take the individuals outside their usual competencies and challenge them to develop teamwork and resilience.
