1. A department employee submits a complaint to the HR manager stating that a lack of trust prevents the employee from approaching the department manager when problems arise. How should the HR manager respond?
A) A. Invite the employee to a meeting to discuss the complaint in greater detail. B) B. Role-play with the employee on how to talk through problems with the manager. C) C. Facilitate a meeting between the employee and the department manager. D) D. Conduct employee-only focus groups to identify the causes of distrust in the department.
2. The CEO asks the HR manager to determine the root cause of the competitive culture of the organization. How should the HR manager collect this information?
A) A. Compile past exit interview comments. B) B. Conduct a focus group with employees from each department. C) C. Schedule individual interviews with each department manager. D) D. Review past employee complaints for common themes.
3. An organization has hired a new HR director. Which action should the director take first after meeting and getting to know the HR staff?
A) Developing programs to submit to management for support B) Performing a risk assessment of the HR function C) Identifying and understanding internal and external stakeholders D) Gaining input about priorities and possible budget items
4. Managing Conflict A business partner is leading an employee committee tasked with developing a program of employee appreciation events. Two of the committee members are embroiled in what has become personal antagonism. They interrupt each other during meetings and are rude in front of the others. How could the business partner have best avoided this situation?
A) Ground rules for behavior in meetings should have been established at the first meeting. B) The business partner should ask the employees' managers to replace them with other more reasonable representatives. C) The business partner should take the two members aside in a private conversation and try resolve their differences. D) The situation could not have been avoided. The business partner does not have the required authority.
5. A manager overhears two team members accusing each other of being rude and endangering getting the necessary work done on time. Rather than step into the middle of this, the manager asks each person separately about the status of the activity. What method of conflict resolution is the manager using?
A) Compromise B) Avoid C) Collaborate D) Accommodate
1. Right Answer: A Explanation: A is correct. Without knowing or obtaining further detail on the nature of the concern, the HR manager is unable to know if a response or action is needed. The manager needs to speak with the employee to validate the concerns. B and C are incorrect. These might be subsequent steps once the HR manager understands the extent of the concerns from the employee. D is incorrect. This too may be a subsequent course of action once the HR manager determines if the concerns are widespread.
2. Right Answer: C Explanation: C is the correct answer. Because it appears that department managers are highly competitive themselves and use an authoritative management style that drives that behavior through their teams, having discussions with the leadership driving the competitiveness is a good way to understand the root cause of the issue. A is incorrect, because this is not necessarily a representative sample of the organization. B and D are incorrect, because the current manager-employee atmosphere may not produce accurate data.
3. Right Answer: C Explanation: Identifying stakeholders and their interests will provide the information the director will need to interpret staff recommendations and perform the assessment and analysis needed to develop an HR business plan.
4. Right Answer: A Explanation: The conflict is wasting the time of the other committee members and could have been avoided by setting and enforcing ground rules for meeting behavior early. Perhaps the conflict can be resolved now, but it is late in the process.
5. Right Answer: B Explanation: The manager has decided not to ask about the conflict and instead focus on the status of the activity. To avoid is to withdraw from the situation or accept it, which is what is being done here. Avoidance saves time but does not provide a permanent resolution to the task or personality issues.
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