SHRM-CP 2022: Leadership & Navigation Competency

Question 1

Coercive Leadership Approach

Answer 1

Leader imposes their vision/view point and forces/demands the team follow the directive.

Question 2

When is a Coercive style effective?

Answer 2

During a crisis when immediate and clear action is needed.

Question 3

When is a Coercive Leadership style ineffective?

Answer 3

When it can damage an employees’ sense of ownership in their work/motivation.

Question 4

Authoritative Leadership

Answer 4

A bold vision is presented that the team is invited to join the challenge of.

Question 5

When is Authoritative leadership style effective?

Answer 5

At times when no clear path forward and when the proposed vision is compelling and captures a teams imagination. This way, team members can have a clear goal and understand their roles/effort and encouraged take risks and contribute their perspectives.

Question 6

When is Authoritative Leadership ineffective?

Answer 6

When the leader lacks real expertise. ie - the vision they are presenting is weak, difficult to understand, and unrealistic to execute.

Question 7

Affiliative Leadership Style

Answer 7

Based on building strong relationships with and inside the team to encourage feedback; team members are motivated by loyalty

Question 8

When is Affiliative Leadership effective?

Answer 8

All times! However, especially when a leader has inherited a dysfunctional and dispirited team that needs to be transformed.

Question 9

When is Affiliative Leadership ineffective?

Answer 9

When used alone! EX: opportunities for coaching may be avoided because the leader is nervous to damage the relationship.

Question 10

Democratic Leadership

Answer 10

Inviting followers to collaborate and commits to acting by consensus

Question 11

When is Democratic Leadership effective?

Answer 11

When a leader does not have a clear vision or anticipates a strong resistance to change. However, team members must be competent, and leaders must have strong communication skills.

Question 12

When is Democratic Leadership ineffective?

Answer 12

When you are on a tight-timeline - building consensus can take time.

Question 13

Pacesetting Leadership

Answer 13

Leader sets model for high performance standards and challenges followers to meet the expectations

Question 14

When is Pacesetting Leadership effective?

Answer 14

When teams are composed of highly competent and internally motivated employees.

Question 15

When is Pacesetting Leadership ineffective?

Answer 15

When expectations and pace of work becomes excessive and employees are tired and discouraged. ie - if leaders attempt at goals focuses too hard on the outcome they may lack in other key areas of motivation.

Question 16

Coaching Leadership

Answer 16

Focus on developing team’s skills, believing that success comes for maligning org goals with employees personal and professional goals

Question 17

When is Coaching Leadership effective?

Answer 17

Leaders are highly skilled in strategic management, communication and motivation and when you can manage time to include coaching as a primary activity with receptive ream members.

Question 18

When is Coaching Leadership ineffective?

Answer 18

When employees resist changing their performance.

Question 19

Name at least 3 hallmarks of an effective HR leaders?

Answer 19

> Develop and Coach others
Build Positive Relationships
Model Values and Deliver on Promises/Commitments
Have Functional Expertise

Question 20

What are at least 3 hallmarks of an ineffective HR Leader?

Answer 20

> Focus internally rather than externally
Lack strategic perspective and focuses on short-term/daily
Reacts poorly to change
Resist “stretch” goals and act as drag on attempts to innovate

Question 21

Trait Theory

Answer 21

Leaders have innate characteristics that followers do not. Equates characteristics with leadership, though experience may not exist.

Question 22

Behavioral Theory

Answer 22

Leaders influence group members through certain behaviors

Question 23

Blake-Mouton Theory

Answer 23

Leadership involves managing Tasks & Employees (Relationships)

There are 5 types of managers - only one is a leader (team leader) with high task and high relationship focus.

Question 24

Situational Theories

Answer 24

Builds on behavioral theories. Propose that leaders can flex their behaviors to meet the needs of unique situations (ie - altering the task/relationship matrix unique to the scenario to maximize effectiveness).

Question 25

Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership

Answer 25

Leaders adapt behaviors around Tasks and Relationships (similar to Blake-Mouton Theory).

As team members grow in skill and experience, leaders supply the corresponding behavior:

1. Telling - low motivation and competence
2. Selling - competent but low motivation (need the “why”)
3. Participating - competent persons can be included in problem solving/coached on higher skills
4. Delegating - very competent team members can benefit from greater levels of autonomy

Question 26

Fielder’s Contingency Theory

Answer 26

Leaders change the situation to make it more “favorable”

Situational “Favorableness” Occurs when:

• Leader-member relationships are strong
• Tasks structure and req are clear
• Leader can exert the needed power to reach goals

Unfavorable situations can be changed to improve effectiveness through improving relationships, changing asps of tasks, and adjusting exertion of power.

Question 27

Path-Goal Theory

Answer 27

Emphasis on leaders’ role in coaching/developing follower’s competencies. Leader performs the behavior need to help employees move towards goals by addressing employee needs.

Types of Needs Include Directive, Supportive, Achievement, and Participative

Question 28

Emergent Theory

Answer 28

Leaders are not appointed by emerge - which chooses the leader based on interactions

Question 29

Transactional Leadership

Answer 29

Emphasizes leader’s preference for order/structure ad focuses on control and short-term planning. Ie - employees expected to follow orders, motivated by reward/consequences, closely monitored, and creativity is not welcomed.

Most commonly found in military and large/multinational organizations.

Question 30

Transformational Leadership

Answer 30

Focus on ability to inspire employees to embrace change. You need to motivate employees to innovate their work and seek out changes to add value.

Generally give autonomy to their employees and enable them to come up with creative solutions and encourages communication, cooperation and collaboration.

Question 31

Leader-Member Exchange Theory

Answer 31

Focuses on two-way relationship between leaders and chosen employees. A leader mentors a selected team member (or members0 and gives them access to more info/resources to strengthen trust and support.

Can contribute to growth, but can also result in in-group and out-group dynamics within the team.

Question 32

Servant Leadership

Answer 32

Flips traditional structure. Leaders are there to serve the needs of their employees and emphasizes sharing of power.

Tend to be more empathetic and trusted by employees and can lead to greater innovation, collaboration, performance and participation.

Question 33

Formal Organizational Features

Answer 33

Overt structures documented in org charts and policies, announcements, and reports. Easier to see and slow to change.

Question 34

Informal Organizational Features

Answer 34

Often based on interpersonal relationships that are complex and subtle, and can change frequently. Primarily seen in culture and social dynamics.

Question 35

Legitimate Power

Answer 35

Created formally through a title or position in hierarchy that is associated with rights of leadership

Can save time in decision making, but, if the person is not competent it will be insufficient.

Question 36

Reward Power

Answer 36

Leader can offer followers something they value in exchange for their commitment (promo, compensation etc).

Question 37

Expert Power

Answer 37

When a leader is recognized as possessing great intelligence, insight, or experience. Can create dependency and weaken others’ initiatives but can also provide elevated guidance and information.

Question 38

Referent Power

Answer 38

Created due to leader’s personality - ie the ability to attract admiration, affection, or loyalty. Useful in gaining buy in, but if not effective in other areas this will result in loss of faith in the leader.

Question 39

Coercive Power

Answer 39

Created when leader has the power to punish those who do not follow. Can get immediate results, but, will damage motivation/self-direction of teams over time.

Question 40

Theory X/Theory Y

Answer 40

Motivation is either absolutely irrelevant (Theory X) or absolutely critical (Theory Y) in the workplace.

Question 41

Needs Theory

Answer 41

Individuals are motivated by desire to satisfy certain needs and understanding them can allow leader to offer the right motivation sources for the individual.

Question 42

Maslow (Needs Theory)

Answer 42

Five basic categories of need must be met in ascending order to maximize motivation. A lower level must be reasonably satisfied to have a higher-level need emerge/serve to motivate.

Categories: Physiological, Safety and Security, Belonging/Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization

Question 43

Herzberg (Needs Theory)

Answer 43

Behaviors are driving by intrinsic factors (innate desires) and extrinsic factors (workplace hygiene).

When extrinsic is bad, intrinsic suffers, but good extrinsic does not always mean an employee will be motivated without good intrinsic factors being tapped into.

Question 44

McClelland (Needs Theory)

Answer 44

Individuals are motivated by 3 basic desires of Achievement (accomplishment), Affiliation (feeling a part of a group), and Power (influence or control over others).

Value of each need varies depending upon the individual. Effective leaders will identify each employees primary motivator and tap into that space to help them develop/grow.

Question 45

Self-Determination (Needs Theory)

Answer 45

Individuals are motivated by innated needs and relatedness like “McClelland’s achievement and affiliation, but also by needs for Autonomy (feel one has control over yourself) and Purpose (sense that your actions have effects beyond individual/workplace).

Question 46

Expectancy Theory

Answer 46

Effort increases in relation to confidence that the behavior will result in a positive outcome

Question 47

Vroom (Expectancy Theory)

Answer 47

Level of effort will depend on Expectancy (with reasonable effort, success will happen), Instrumentality (success will be rewarded), and Valence (the reward is meaningful). All three must be addressed to motivate the employee.

Question 48

Attribution Theory

Answer 48

The way a person interprets causes for past outcomes is related to present level of motivation. A leader can help employees attribute results to correct causes to create opportunities for success.

Question 49

Heider, Weiner (Attribution Theory)

Answer 49

Outcome can be attributed to internal factors (skills, diligence) or external factors (resources, market events).

Internal factors are under employee control, but external are not. Employees that have a track record of “failure” can create learned helplessness or aggression in the workplace even if the “failure” is due to external factors.

Question 50

Goal-Setting Theory

Answer 50

Motivation increases when employees have goals to assess their achievement against.

Optimal with employees are involved in designing their goals and when said goals are specific, important to the individual, realistic but challenging, and connected to the organization’s goals.

Question 51

Equity Theory

Answer 51

Motivation is based on an employee’s sense of fairness. Perceived value is calculated based on their inputs/outputs.

Inputs - skills, training, effort, education, experience
Outputs - salary, bonuses, raises, promotions.

When employee views as fair balance, their motivation will be maintained. And if it unfair, they can become demotivated.

Question 52

What are at least 2 core qualities Leaders should possess to be effective?

Answer 52

> Self-Motivated and Self-Disciplined
Be or Become Comfortable with Risk-Taking
Committed to Continuous Learning
Embody a Growth Mindset