CPM Human Resource Management & Organizational Development 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A manager notices two team members have an ongoing interpersonal conflict that is reducing productivity. Which conflict resolution approach emphasizes finding a solution that fully satisfies both parties?
- Compromising
- Collaborating (Correct answer)
- Avoiding
- Competing
Correct answer: Collaborating
Collaborating (win-win) seeks a solution that fully meets both parties' needs, unlike compromising where both give up something.
Question 2: Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which category of workers is NOT entitled to overtime pay?
- Non-exempt hourly workers
- Part-time retail employees
- Executive employees meeting salary and duties tests (Correct answer)
- Seasonal agricultural workers paid hourly
Correct answer: Executive employees meeting salary and duties tests
Executive employees who meet the FLSA salary basis test and duties test are classified as exempt and not entitled to overtime pay.
Question 3: An organization implements a 360-degree feedback system. What is the PRIMARY advantage of this approach over traditional top-down appraisals?
- It reduces the time managers spend on evaluations
- It eliminates the need for self-assessments
- It provides feedback from multiple perspectives including peers and subordinates (Correct answer)
- It automatically generates performance improvement plans
Correct answer: It provides feedback from multiple perspectives including peers and subordinates
360-degree feedback collects input from supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes customers, providing a more comprehensive view of performance.
Question 4: Which organizational development intervention focuses on improving the effectiveness of intact work groups through structured activities and open dialogue?
- Survey feedback
- Team building (Correct answer)
- Job enrichment
- Management by objectives
Correct answer: Team building
Team building interventions are specifically designed to improve the functioning of intact work groups through structured activities, role clarification, and interpersonal skill development.
Question 5: A company's succession planning program identifies high-potential employees. What is the MOST effective development action for these individuals?
- Assigning them only to their current functional area for deep expertise
- Rotating them through cross-functional assignments and stretch projects (Correct answer)
- Promoting them immediately to senior roles to accelerate readiness
- Enrolling them exclusively in external MBA programs
Correct answer: Rotating them through cross-functional assignments and stretch projects
Cross-functional rotations and stretch assignments build the broad experience and leadership competencies high-potential employees need for senior roles.
Question 6: An HR manager is conducting a job analysis. Which method involves directly watching employees perform their tasks to gather information?
- Structured interviews
- Questionnaires
- Observation (Correct answer)
- Work sampling
Correct answer: Observation
Observation involves the analyst directly watching employees perform their work to document tasks, equipment used, and working conditions.
Question 7: Which theory of motivation proposes that employees compare their input-outcome ratio to that of a referent and adjust behavior when they perceive inequity?
- Expectancy theory
- Equity theory (Correct answer)
- Two-factor theory
- ERG theory
Correct answer: Equity theory
Adams' Equity Theory holds that employees are motivated when they perceive fairness in the ratio of their contributions to rewards compared to others.
CPM Human Resource Management & Organizational Development 2
A manager notices two team members have an ongoing interpersonal conflict that is reducing productivity.
Which conflict resolution approach emphasizes finding a solution that fully satisfies both parties?