SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Questions & Answers

• Question 1:

  Gwen is an expatriate who was transferred 3 months ago to another country for a short-term assignment. She assumes that her contemporaries in the new location will value punctuality just as the associates in her native country do. Based on this, she assumes the delay in response to her e-mails and enquiries reflect incompetence and unprofessional conduct. She becomes frustrated with her colleagues, inhibiting collaboration and the development of relationships among her new team. This example indicates a lack of understanding and exploration of what type of culture?

  A. Organizational culture
  B. National culture
  C. Subculture
  D. Home culture
  B. National culture

  ---

  explanation:

  Expatriates should understand the national cultural values in the countries in which their assignments are - to ensure that their work practices are appropriate and will be effective in operations in those countries. An organization's culture defines the proper way to behave within the organization. Subcultures exist among groups or individuals who may have their own rituals and traditions that may not be shared by the rest of the organization.

• Question 2:

  A global group of production factories has Global HR implement a dress code policy that sets expectations for a professional appearance and protection in the workplace. However, it is allowed for appropriate guidelines to be issued at the regional levels. What is this an example of?

  A. cultural ethnocentrism
  B. cultural relativism
  C. universalism
  D. cultural determinism
  B. cultural relativism

  ---

  explanation:

  Cultural relativism enables differences between cultures to be all acceptable and right depending on context. This means that concepts can come across as wrong for a group in one context and pass as right for another in other contexts. Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture.Cultural determinism is the belief that the culture in which we are raised determines who we are at emotional and behavioral levels. This supports the theory that environmental influences dominate who we are instead of biologically inherited traits.Universalism implies that it is possible to apply generalized norms, values, or concepts to all people and cultures, regardless of the contexts in which they are located.

• Question 3:

  In the contingency theory of leadership, which factor refers to the degree of confidence, trust, agreeableness, and respect that team members have in their leader?

  A. Situational favorableness
  B. Leader-member relations
  C. Preferred coworker scale
  D. Leader's interaction power
  B. Leader-member relations

  ---

  explanation:

  The contingency theory of leadership supposes that a leader's effectiveness is contingent on whether or not their leadership style suits a particular situation. According to this theory, an individual can be an effective leader in one circumstance and an ineffective leader in another one.

  Under Fiedler's model, there is a need to determine situational favorableness by evaluating three distinct factors:

  Leader-Member Relations - This factor involves the amount of trust and confidence that your team members have in you. If you are trusted and well-liked by your entire team, your influence will increase and your workplace will become a more favorable situation.

  Task Structure - This factor relates to whether the tasks your team completes are clear and structured or vague and unstructured. Unstructured tasks do not have a well-specified plan of action and would be considered unfavorable.

  Leader's Position Power - This is the amount of power a leader has over their team and involves whether or not they have the authority to give out rewards or punishment. Typically, the more power you have, the more favorable your situation.

• Question 4:

  Glen is the senior manager of the HR department at a non-profit organization. He delegates 95% of his tasks to his subordinates and practices a laissez-faire management system. Employees have complained that he does not exercise any authority in his leadership role. According to Blake-Mouton's behavioral leadership theory, what kind of manager is Glen?

  A. Authority-compliance management
  B. Middle of the road management
  C. Impoverished management
  D. Country club management
  C. Impoverished management

  ---

  explanation:

  Blake and Mouton proposed a two-dimensional Managerial Grid based on a manager's concern for production (task-oriented) and concern for people (relationship-oriented).

  Impoverished Management (1,1)

  Managers who score low on concern for production and low on concern for people are labeled as having an "Impoverished Management" style or "Indifferent Management" style. They exert minimum effort to get required work done and to maintain interpersonal relationships.

  Country Club Management (1,9)

  Managers who score low on concern for production and high on concern for people are considered to have a "Country Club Management" style. The primary emphasis of Country Club managers is placed on people rather than on work outputs.

  Authority-Compliance Management (9,1)

  The dictatorial "Authority-Compliance Management" style (or "Produce-or-Perish" style) implies that managers score high on concern for production and low on concern for people. Efficiency in operations should be the dominant orientation.

  Middle-of-the-Road Management (5,5)

  Managers who score medium on concern for production and medium on concern for people have a "Middle-of-the-Road Management" style. They attempt to balance an organization's performance targets with the needs of employees.

  Team Management (9,9)

  If managers score high on concern for production and high on concern for people, they are labeled as having a "Team Management" style. This style is often considered the most effective and is recommended for managers because organization members work together to accomplish tasks and maintain good relationships.

• Question 5:

  Gwen just completed a training on transformational leadership. What characteristic is considered to be representative of transformational leaders?

  A. rewards and incentives are contingent on performance.
  B. revels and excels in efficiency
  C. focus on vision
  D. favors structured policies and procedures
  C. focus on vision

  ---

  explanation:

  Transactional leadership is primarily based on processes and control, and requires a strict management structure. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, focuses on inspiring others to follow (shared vision), and it requires a high degree of coordination, communication, and cooperation.There are four elements of transformational leaders:Idealized influence: Leaders hold, share and demonstrate core values and trust.Inspirational motivation: Leaders motivate workers by conveying confidence and a sense of purpose.Individualized consideration: Leaders are concerned with people's feelings and needs.Intellectual stimulation: Leaders provide opportunities for creativity and innovation and allow people to learn, grow and try new things.

• Question 6:

  A senior HR manager adjusts her management style to what she believes is needed for each employee depending on the employee's level of job progression and maturity. However, the senior manager of the finance department does not change his leadership style but rather changes the factors surrounding the circumstances to manage the finance department employees. Which theory is the finance manager following?

  A. Behavioral leadership theory
  B. Transactional leadership theory
  C. Contingency leadership theory
  D. Transformational leadership theory
  C. Contingency leadership theory

  ---

  explanation:

  Fiedler's Contingency Theory states that there is not one best style of leadership. Rather, the most effective leadership style for any given situation is one that aligns with the situation at hand. It states that a leader's effectiveness is based on the situation.This contingency theory proposes that no one way or style of leadership may be applicable to all situations. In other words, it recognizes that there might be variables influencing any particular situation, and a leader must choose the right course of action, taking into account those variables.

• Question 7:

  The Tent corporation has begun an outsourcing process of a business unit in its Human Resources department. The corporation has emphasized three processes that will have a major impact on a successful transition. These are due diligence, good contract performance and a positive outsourcing relationship. Which action should HR recommend to ensure due diligence in the outsourcing process?

  A. Balance cost efficiencies against calculated risk factors
  B. Business analysis of the competitive business environment
  C. Consistency and standardization of service level agreements (SLAs).
  D. Define the boundaries of control over core competencies.
  A. Balance cost efficiencies against calculated risk factors

  ---

  explanation:

  During due diligence of the outsourcing process, it is crucial to recognize possible risks and cost factors. Note that a company will not outsource its core competency, and SLAs do not have to be standardized across clients or offerings.

• Question 8:

  The Terse organization has shifted from using the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) performance appraisal method to using the forced distribution method in the administration of performance appraisals. Which is an advantage of forced distribution method?

  A. It is the most objective method for rating performance with minimal rater inflation or bias.
  B. It increases reliability by providing specific behavioral examples to reflect performance.
  C. It always provides meaningful distinctions between the performance standards of employees.
  D. It results in a consistent distribution of performance ratings.
  D. It results in a consistent distribution of performance ratings.

  ---

  explanation:

  Forced distribution is a form of employee evaluation in which employees are ranked against one another rather than performance standards. This performance rating system (bell curve, forced choice, forced ranking) is done by stack ranking the employees from first to last or by creating three to five groups and evaluating each employee's skills and performance within those bounds. The result is typically a consistent bell curve with a small percentage of low- and high-performing employees and a large population of middling employees.

• Question 9:

  A HR director involves a HR trainee in developing the Total Quality Management (TQM) initiative that the organization intends to deploy in the production department in a bid to ensure continuous improvement in quality and reduce manufacturing defects by 30%. What career development activity does this describe?

  A. Career management
  B. Organizational development
  C. Career planning
  D. Learning and development
  A. Career management

  ---

  explanation:

  By involving the employees in the employer's TQM initiative, the HR director is aiming to align the employee's career opportunities with the developmental direction of the company.Career management is the?process of selecting, evaluating, hiring, and developing employees.; while career planning is a process in which the individual employee determines and implements actions to achieve certain career goals. Career planning identifies personal abilities, while career management focuses on organizational staffing needs. Career planning focus on the individual, while career management focuses on the job/company.image credit: www.slideplayer.com

• Question 10:

  In a bid to reduce bias and subjectivity, the Terse company has switched to a 360-degree feedback system. Which is an advantage of using a 360-degree evaluation?

  A. It identifies employee developmental opportunities from the performance appraisal process.
  B. It improves team collaboration and objectivity as raters undergo training before using this system.
  C. It increases the perspectives of performance feedback provided to an employee.
  D. It increases employer accountability to ensure pay/promotion decisions are based on job-related criteria.
  C. It increases the perspectives of performance feedback provided to an employee.

  ---

  explanation:

  A 360-degree feedback involves performance appraisal process in which feedback is obtained from the boss, subordinates, peers and coworkers, and the employees themselves.The major advantage of the 360-degree appraisal technique is that it provides various perspectives of job performance, thereby minimizing bias in the performance evaluation technique.