Organizational Effectiveness & Development Flashcards
17.At what stage of the Organizational Effectiveness & Development (OED) process would you define the objectives of the OED program?
A. Identifying gaps in strategic capabilities
B. Managing the project
C. Developing the action plan
D. Evaluating the results
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1203). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
17.C is correct. The program objectives are defined during the action plan development stage of the OED process. This is also when the budget is established, the staff is allocated, and the overall program design is finalized.
A, B, and D are incorrect.
A is incorrect because during this first stage of the OED process the focus is on comparing the organization’s capabilities to the organizational strategy. The goal in this stage is to identify and analyze the problems to identify the causes of any limitations on the solutions.
B is incorrect because during the management stage, the action plan developed is implemented and monitored.
D is incorrect because this is the final stage of the OED process, and the focus is to evaluate the effectiveness of the program measured by whether the outcomes are the desired ones that were set during the action plan development stage. It is a time to reflect on what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to be done differently.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1243). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
18.An HR professional is conducting a needs analysis utilizing the ADDIE model. At which level is the HR professional operating if they are reviewing a manager’s span of control?
A. Organizational
B. Task
C. Individual
D. Group
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1203-1204). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
18.A is correct. At the organizational level of a needs assessment the HR professional analyzes the needs of the organization as a whole. This includes the organization’s department structures, change of command, and how many people report to managers (span of control).
B, C, and D are incorrect.
B is incorrect because needs analysis at the task level focuses on the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform specific job tasks.
C is incorrect because a needs analysis at the individual level is focused on how the organization can enhance employee competencies to align with the strategic plan.
D is incorrect because group is not a needs analysis level.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1243-1244). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
19.A 14-year-old shipping company has been consistently missing promised delivery dates to its South Pacific region for the past year. The regional operations manager positions were eliminated 2 years ago. As a result, all local shipping supervisors report directly to the director of supply chain management at the corporate office. Which OED intervention strategy would be best to apply in this case?
A. Process analysis strategies
B. Work process strategies
C. Structural strategies
D. Interpersonal strategies
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1204). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
19.C is correct. Structural intervention strategies review an organization’s structure such as chain of command and span of control to determine whether this structure is helping or hurting the company’s success. Since the regional operations manager position was recently eliminated and the changes in the company’s ability to make on-time deliveries is also a recent change, it seems that the best course of action would be to pursue a structural OED intervention strategy.
A, B, and D are incorrect.
A is incorrect because process analysis is not an identified OED intervention strategy.
B is incorrect because a work process strategy focuses on process inefficiencies. This may be applicable for this case as a further needs analysis is completed. However, what is the best first step is to consider a structural invention strategy for the reasons mentioned prior.
D is incorrect because interpersonal OED intervention strategies focus on the organization’s effectiveness from the standpoint of how employees communicate and interact with each other.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1244). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
20.Which of the following quality control tools would be best when evaluating whether a reduction in sales staff correlates to the decrease in sales?
A. Fishbone diagram
B. Scatter diagram
C. Pareto chart
D. Histogram
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1204). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
20.B is correct. A scatter diagram is used to compare two variables. The two variables in this case are then the number of sales staff and company revenue.
A, C, and D are incorrect.
A is incorrect because a fishbone diagram (cause and effect) compares several causes that are suspected to affect an outcome.
C is incorrect because a Pareto chart is used to help the HR professional determine which needs should be focused on in order to gain the most improvement. A Pareto chart visually shows the 80/20 principle, which says that 20 percent of the problems, if addressed appropriately, will yield 80 percent of the improvements.
D is incorrect because a histogram visually shows the changes for one variable. This case has two variables.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1244-1245). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
21.A hospital system implemented a patient billing system. Since the implementation, there have been several billing errors and an increase in patient costs. The chief technology officer is adamant that it is not the software but rather inadequate employee training on the use of the new patient billing system that is the cause of the billing issues. Which Six Sigma improvement process applies in this case?
A. DMAIC
B. DMADV
C. TQM
D. TOC
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1204). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
21.A is correct. DMAIC (which stands for define, measure, analyze, improve, control) is the process used to evaluate and improve an existing process. The hospital is already using the patient billing system, so there are processes in place that may be inefficient or ineffective. If they were trying to develop new systems/processes, then the DMADV (which stands for define measure, analyze, design, verify) improvement process would be appropriate because it is used to develop new processes.
B, C, and D are incorrect. They are incorrect because DMADV is used to define new processes, not evaluate and improve existing ones.
Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management system that focuses on the involvement of all stakeholders being committed to producing and maintaining high work standards. It is not a Six Sigma process.
Theory of Constraints (TOC) is a lean methodology that focuses on isolating the most constraining factor and preventing it from continuing to hinder organizational success.
When this factor is eliminated, then the next limiting factor is identified, and the process is repeated. It is not a Six Sigma process.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1245). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
22.Which commonly used decision-making tool would you recommend that the team use if you are trying to determine whether the implementation of an OED initiative will be worth the financial investment?
A. Return on investment
B. PEST analysis
C. Cost-benefit analysis
D. SWOT analysis
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1204-1205). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
22.C is correct. A cost-benefit analysis is a process where the benefits of a business decision are summed up and then the costs associated with taking the action are deducted. The benefit-cost ratio is expressed as B/C = estimated sales × probability of success/estimated costs × probability of achieving target. This would be the best analysis of the choices given if you are trying to determine whether the outcomes of an OED initiative is worth the investment.
A, B, and D are incorrect.
A is incorrect because return on investment is a profitability percentage that allows you to estimate how much revenue can be generated because a financial outlay (investment) is made. It assumes that the investment is being made and the team is simply trying to figure out how much money the organization will earn from this investment. A cost-benefit analysis doesn’t assume this.
B and D are incorrect because both PEST (political, economic, social, technological) and SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis are used to determine the market conditions for an organization’s products or services.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1245-1246). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
23.Which of the following best describes HR’s role in organizational development (OD)?
A. Serve as a change agent
B. Craft employee communication
C. Administer changes in benefits plan
D.Organize team-building activities for executive team
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1205). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
23.A is correct. HR’s role in any OED initiative is to serve as the change agent. This may include crafting employee communications and determining the mode, method, and timing of such communications.
B, C, and D are incorrect. They are incorrect because crafting employee communication may be one of the activities an HR person does while facilitating change but doesn’t encompass the totality of the role of change agent.
Administering changes in a company’s benefits plan and organizing team building activities are both administrative functions of HR. OED initiatives require strategic HR activity.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1246). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
24.Which methodology identifies bottlenecks one at a time until a company achieves the desired goal?
A. Total Quality Management
B. Theory of Constraints
C. Flow charts
D. Six Sigma
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1205). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
24.B is correct. Theory of Constraints identifies the “weakest link” that is preventing a company from achieving a particular goal and then eliminates it. After this constraint is eliminated, you begin working on identifying and eliminating the next constraint.
A, C, and D are incorrect.
A is incorrect because Total Quality Management is a management approach that requires that all stakeholders be responsible for producing high-quality products or services the first time. TQM encompasses the entire company culture, employee attitude, and company structure with the sole focus of delivering the best to the customer.
C is incorrect because flow charts allow you to visually display processes that may be used to determine constraints that may affect a company’s ability to attain a goal.
D is incorrect because Six Sigma is a data-driven quality management approach focused on eliminating product defects within six standard deviations.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1246-1247). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
25.HR is in the process of revamping the management trainee program for a rental car company. HR decides that a case study should be required and that trainees would work on it as a group. Which stage of the ADDIE model is HR currently in?
A. Design
B. Development
C. Analysis
D. Implementation
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1205). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
25.A is correct. During the design phase the instructional designer is involved in activities related to determining which tasks participants need training on, determining activities for the three learning styles (auditory, kinesthetic, visual), and developing materials and content. In this case, HR has decided that one of the delivery methods for this training program will be a case study.
B, C, and D are incorrect.
B is incorrect because during the development phase materials are either developed or purchased.
C is incorrect because the analysis phase is the needs assessment phase. The end result is a proposal that includes a current status, goals, and desired outcome of training.
D is incorrect because the implementation phase is when all the prior activities in instructional design meet and training is actually delivered to participants. It is characterized by selecting the training facility, selecting and training the trainers, and establishing the training schedule.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1247). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
26.Viejo Dominicano produces a variety of candies made with cashews. The company has six production facilities. One of the facilities produces about two-thirds the capacity of the average of the other five plants. How can HR help the operations manager get production up to an acceptable level?
A. Provide higher-quality training for employees
B.Complete a 360-degree evaluation on the operations manager
C.Remind employees that low production leads to layoffs
D. Conduct a needs assessment
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1206). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
26.D is correct. HR should conduct a needs analysis in order to determine what constraints need to be addressed and the best way to address them.
A, B, and C are incorrect.
A, B, and C are incorrect because these could all be solutions that improve the plant’s production.
For example, 360-degree feedback might reveal that the operations manager displays management behaviors that are so autocratic that employees are not motivated to do their best work.
Without a needs assessment, however, it remains to be seen if any of the listed solutions is the most effective solution to apply.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1247-1248). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
27.You are brainstorming the causes of employee turnover with the functional department leaders. Which quality tool would best help the team visualize the data?
A. Ishikawa diagram
B. Pareto chart
C. Scatter diagram
D. Histogram
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1206). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
27.A is correct. An Ishikawa diagram, also referred to as a cause-and-effect diagram or fishbone diagram, is the best way to visually organize information about a problem when brainstorming with a group of people.
B, C, and D are incorrect.
B is incorrect because a Pareto chart is used to visually display the 80/20 rule.
C is incorrect because a scatter diagram is used to visually display the relationship between two variables.
D is incorrect because a histogram is used to determine whether there is a pattern that can be identified for seemingly random occurrences.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1248). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
28.As the HR business partner you review feedback from stakeholders of an OED initiative. What step of the OED process are you engaged in?
A. Identifying gaps in strategic capabilities
B. Developing the OED plan
C. Evaluating the results
D. Gathering data
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1206-1207). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
28.C is correct. You are engaged in evaluating the results of the OED plan that was implemented. This is the last step in the process. The results of the initiative may spark discussion that leads to data gathering, development, and implementation of another OED initiative.
A, B, and D are incorrect. They are incorrect because these choices represent the prior three steps in an OED initiative, which are to 1) identify gaps in strategic capabilities, 2) develop an action plan, and 3) manage the OED project.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1248). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
29.A customer service call center has established goals of answering customer calls within four rings and of 1 percent dropped calls. The call center manager reviewed the statistics of the last 3 months and determined that, on average, calls are being answered after 20 rings and the drop rate is 7 percent. In discussion with the call center manager, you both conclude that the data is skewed negatively by the response time of second-shift employees. If senior management agrees to fund training for this group, this level of intervention is happening at the:
A. Task level
B. Organizational level
C. Department level
D. Individual level
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1207). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
29.A is correct. A task-level intervention is designed to address a single process in a single job category. The call center is experiencing a significantly higher-than-normal rate of dropped calls during the second shift. These employees need to be retrained on answering calls within the company-set goal of four rings.
B, C, and D are incorrect.
B and C are incorrect because an organizational-level intervention would be delivered to the entire company or the entire department. In this case, training is targeted to second-shift employees only.
D is incorrect because an individual-level intervention would focus on one employee’s performance and need for assistance in a particular area.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1248-1249). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
30.At the annual planning meeting, the executive team decides that the organizational structure needs to be redefined. This will include a change in reporting structure and a reduction in the number of midlevel managers. Which of the following best describes this OED strategy?
A. Structural
B. Work process
C. Interpersonal
D. Departmental
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1207). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
30.A is correct. Structural OED strategies analyze and remedy how an organization’s structure is either helping or constraining it from reaching strategic goals.
B, C, and D are incorrect.
B is incorrect because work process OED strategies include activities such as reviewing job design or analyzing workflow.
C is incorrect because interpersonal strategies focus on the work relationships between employees and groups. The goal is to establish communication norms and expectations.
D is incorrect because a departmental intervention would be classified as organizational, work process, or interpersonal strategies depending on the issue that the OED initiative is attempting to resolve. Departmental would not be its own classification.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1249). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
31.Why is it important to evaluate change readiness in an organization?
A.Align engagement strategies to business results
B. Ensure engagement activities are fun
C. Survey employees once a year
D.Eliminate external pressures to employee engagement
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (pp. 1207-1208). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
31.A is correct because strategies that are tied to business results support the business case to management for implementing that particular strategy. This connection also helps employees make the link between their work product and why they should choose to support or be part of various engagement activities.
B, C, and D are incorrect.
B is incorrect because whether an activity is fun is only one component of driving employee involvement. Also, involvement doesn’t equal engagement. Conceptually, employee engagement is also about commitment to the business’s success.
C is incorrect because conducting a survey, regardless of how often it is given, without addressing the concerns identified by the survey results doesn’t support the sustainability of an employee engagement strategy.
D is incorrect because it isn’t possible to eliminate external pressures such as the state of the economy.
Willer, Dory; Willer, Dory; Truesdell, William H.; Truesdell, William H.; Kelly, William D.; Kelly, William D.; Simon-Walters, Joanne; Simon-Walters, Joanne. SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP Certification Bundle (All-In-One) (p. 1249). McGraw-Hill Education. Kindle Edition.
