Chapter 4—HR Planning for Alignment and Change
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. _____________ alignment exists when the HRM system fits with all other elements of the
organizational environment—the culture, strategy, technology, and so on.
a.
Bi-polar
b.
Longitudinal
c.
Horizontal
d.
Equatorial
e.
Vertical
2. _____________ alignment exists when all of the HR policies and practices that comprise the HRM
system are consistent with each other and so present a coherent message to employees concerning
how they should behave while at work.
a.
Bi-polar
b.
Longitudinal
c.
Horizontal
d.
Parallel
e.
Vertical
3. When organizations make major adjustments in the ways they do business, it usually creates the need
for ______________ change.
a.
radical
b.
incremental
c.
reactive
d.
anticipatory
e.
dysfunctional
4. ______________ change occurs when an organization is forced to change in response to an
unanticipated event in the external or organizational environment.
a.
radical
b.
incremental
c.
reactive
d.
anticipatory
e.
dysfunctional
5. When an organization takes action in anticipation of upcoming events or early in the cycle of a new
trend, it undergoes _______________ change.
a.
radical
b.
incremental
c.
reactive
d.
anticipatory
e.
dysfunctional
6. The type of strategic change that can be planned carefully and implemented gradually is
______________ change.
a.
radical anticipatory
b.
incremental anticipatory
c.
radical reactive
d.
incremental reactive
e.
dysfunctional
7. A _________________ organization continually finds new ways to satisfy customers and other
stakeholders by skillfully integrating the resources of information, technology, and people to produce
and then effectively use new knowledge.
a.
radical
b.
anticipatory
c.
instructive
d.
learning
e.
dysfunctional
8. Managing human resources to support continuous learning includes all of the following EXCEPT:
a.
Staffing
b.
Training and development
c.
Performance appraisals
d.
Rewards
e.
Needed employee behaviors
9. _____________ refers to the activities associated with scanning and assessing the environment;
specifying the objectives to be achieved by HR activities, along with the measures to be used to assess
the achievement of those objectives; and developing specific plans for HR policies and practices along
with timetables for implementing the plans.
a.
human resource replacement
b.
job analysis
c.
human resource implementation
d.
human resource assessment
e.
human resource planning
10. Which of the following is a responsibility of employees in HR planning and strategic change?
a.
develop a personal capacity for frequent change
b.
provide input in the early phases of planning
c.
participate in generating and evaluating alternative approaches to change
d.
understand the planned changes and their implications
e.
all of the above.
11. Research on integration following M&As shows that the HR implications
a.
are vitally important in addressing the concerns of external stakeholders
b.
are centered on combining job analysis systems
c.
should not be treated as an afterthought
d.
have a carryover effect on human resource assessment
e.
can impede additional human resource planning
12. Human resource (HR) ________________ state in quantitative or qualitative terms what is to be
achieved with regard to the firm’s human resources.
a.
alternatives
b.
forecasts
c.
goals
d.
objectives
e.
projections
13. Human resource (HR) ___________ are used to assess progress against HR objectives.
a.
metrics
b.
forecasts
c.
goals
d.
models
e.
projections
14. The last phase in strategic business and HR planning for alignment and change process is
___________.
a.
assessing the global and organizational environment
b.
reviewing, revising, and refocusing
c.
developing plans with measurements and timetables
d.
specifying objectives of HR change efforts
e.
implementing plans
15. The CEO of Black Gold Oil Exploration, Inc., has committed to opening a branch office in Argentina.
Staffing the new branch will require experienced geologists, petroleum engineers and administrators
from the U.S. operations who are willing to relocate to Argentina for two years, who speak Spanish
and who are willing to move in three months. The vice president of HR is shocked by this staffing
request, as this is the first he has learned of the Argentine endeavor, and this will be the company’s first
non-U.S. operation. According to your textbook, this organization has failed to _______________.
a.
align business planning and HR planning
b.
plan strategically
c.
properly implement incremental change
d.
implement continuous anticipatory change
e.
engage in long-term linear planning
16. Which of the following would not be a relevant HR metric for a retail appliance store customer service
operations?
a.
On–time arrival of the installation technician at the customer’s address
b.
Prior notification of the customer of technician’s arrival
c.
Number of installations completed by a technician within eight hours
d.
Level of customer satisfaction with technician’s professionalism while onsite
e.
Distance from customer’s address to nearest competing retail store
17. The strategic plan for an organizational change:
a.
is a blueprint for action
b.
should include a timetable for implementation and evaluation of the change
c.
should be monitored using measurement criteria
d.
should consider all the possible alternative ways to proceed with the change
e.
is accurately described by all of the above
18. Which of the following are important elements of an organization’s external environment:
a.
Globalization
b.
Political landscape
c.
Labor markets
d.
Legal institutions
e.
All of the above
19. An organizational assessment of the internal and external environments is often referred to as a(n):
a.
external environmental analysis
b.
short-term forecast
c.
organizational analysis
d.
financial audit
e.
social audit
20. Of the various organizational units that share responsibility for strategic planning, which unit(s) is
(are) most likely to have the responsibility for workforce forecasting?
a.
Departments other than HR
b.
HR in conjunction with other departments
c.
HR alone
d.
HR and top management
e.
HR and line managers
21. Of the various organizational units that share responsibility for strategic planning, which unit(s) is
(are) most likely to have the responsibility for succession planning?
a.
Departments other than HR
b.
HR in conjunction with other departments
c.
HR alone
d.
HR and top management
e.
HR and line managers
22. Which of the following statements about forecasting is false?
a.
When the environment is more stable, forecasting is less complex than in unstable times.
b.
Quantitative (statistical) methods are by far preferable to non-quantitative methods for
forecasting.
c.
Forecasting involves approximations, not certainties.
d.
The accuracy of information available affects the quality of the forecast
e.
The longer the time horizon, the more accurate the information used for forecasting.
23. As a prominent expert in the area of HR information systems, you have been invited to attend a
meeting of other HR and business specialists from around the nation. You and your colleagues will
take turns presenting your forecasts and assumptions to the others, making revisions as a group until a
viable composite forecast emerges. You will be taking part in a(n) _____.
a.
skunkworks task force
b.
Oracle conference
c.
Delphi meeting
d.
Einstein encounter
e.
creativity workshop
24. Which of the following statements about scenario planning is TRUE:
a.
It involves the construction of multiple alternative views of the future.
b.
It relies only judgmental forecasts.
c.
It relies only on statistical forecasts.
d.
It discourages proactive and anticipatory HR planning
e.
It increases the chances that radical reactive changes will be required due to unexpected
changes in the internal environment.
25. State Technical College has more than 900 employees. Every three years, the HR department at State
surveys the employees, and some of the same questions are repeated each time. This practice:
a.
reduces the costs for preparing the surveys.
b.
keeps up the appearance of employee involvement.
c.
helps reduce employee suspicion about the purpose of surveys
d.
discourages employees from make socially acceptable responses
e.
allows the employer to examine how employee views change over time.
26. A(n) __________________ brings together a small number of employees to discuss a specific issue in
a conversation guided by a trained facilitator.
a.
quality improvement circle (QIC)
b.
employee involvement (EI) team
c.
focus group
d.
op-ed group
e.
policy implementation group (PIG)
27. A possible disadvantage of employee blogs is:
a.
copyright violation
b.
sexual harassment
c.
embarrassment to the organization
d.
all of the above
e.
none of the above
28. Cause-and-effect models:
a.
are useful for explaining irrelevant external errors
b.
cannot be relied on in stable competitive environments
c.
are archaic forms of management tools
d.
show links between specific HR practices and organizational performance metrics
e.
none of the above
29. The abbreviation “FTEs” stands for:
a.
Factory trained employees
b.
Former technical engineers
c.
Future training estimates
d.
Full-time technical employees
e.
Full-time equivalent employees
30. Employee morale has been declining at a large pharmaceutical firm, and the HR department wants to
assess employee perceptions of the organization’s image. Which of the following measures could the
HR team use?
a.
Leadership
b.
Strategic directions
c.
Organizational learning
d.
Compensation
e.
All of the above could be chosen
31. The best HR metrics:
a.
are accepted by managers as legitimate
b.
are relatively easy to use
c.
have an obvious connection to the stated business and HR objectives
d.
all of the above
e.
only a and c are correct
32. Forecasting human resource supply for specific managerial positions in the organization is referred to
as:
a.
labor forecasting
b.
organizational charting
c.
proxy planning
d.
executive strategy
e.
succession planning
33. You dropped in on the vice president of HR and saw a large poster tacked on her wall. It showed the
key jobs in the organization with the names of the current incumbents in black. In red, it listed the
names of current employees who might be used to fill vacancies in each position. As you tried to find
your own name on the chart, the HR vice president quickly ushered you out of her office. What you
have just seen is a(n) _____.
a.
replacement chart
b.
talent pool
c.
succession roster
d.
HR forecasting document
e.
Delphi forecast
34. To ensure that those affected by planned organizational change do support the change, an organization
should:
a.
let the change happen gradually without any fanfare
b.
implement the change quickly and make it understood that those affected have the final
say in what happens
c.
involve everyone affected by the change early in the change process
d.
keep communications at a minimum
e.
do nothing because employees understand that change is inevitable
35. An organization can use ____________ to involve employees in a planned organizational change and
to get their support of the change process.
a.
statistical forecasting
b.
focus groups and hotlines
c.
observational research
d.
replacement planning
e.
historical trending
36. When a person is responsible for implementing changes and making sure that the objectives of a
change effort are met, that person is _____________.
a.
being held accountable
b.
being made the matrix boss
c.
being enfranchised
d.
being involved in strategic planning
e.
being co-opted
37. The top executives at a paper manufacturing plant have determined that they should restructure their
workforce into self-directed teams. When should they start implementing this organizational change?
a.
after all the strategic plans have been developed
b.
once all resistance to change has been removed
c.
as the executives are developing the strategic plan
d.
once the strategy has been evaluated
e.
after all legal barriers to change have been removed
38. A manufacturing company has implemented an across-the-board cost-cutting strategy. The company’s
goal is to reduce expenses by 10 percent without sacrificing product quality. The decision was made
by the company’s top management without input from its employees. How are its employees likely to
show their resistance to the organizational change?
a.
insincere agreement
b.
in-your-face defiance
c.
sabotage
d.
malicious compliance
e.
all of the above
39. Which of the following statements about the resistance to change is true?
a.
If done correctly, organizational change will not be resisted.
b.
There are only two barriers to change, fear and misunderstanding.
c.
Cynicism can be avoided by implementing change frequently.
d.
Fear of change usually stems from concerns about excessively heavy work loads.
e.
None of the above statements about the resistance to change is true.
40. Which of the following is the likely negative consequence of solving a labor surplus by letting
people go?
a.
morale of existing employees may decrease
b.
major changes of business strategy are usually required
c.
compensation costs tend to be high
d.
productivity will be low
e.
changes in technology will be required
41. During the last phase of planned organizational change,
a.
a human resource information system can be very helpful in collecting and disseminating
information
b.
create short-term wins
c.
pause to reflect on process
d.
monitor measures of progress
e.
all of the above occur
42. Which of the following is NOT an example of incremental change?
a.
A motel switches to a less expensive detergent for washing sheets and towels.
b.
A national chain of coffee stores tests customer response to a new coffee drink by
introducing it in a limited number of stores.
c.
New owners buy an international company and take steps to cut one million dollars from
its annual operating expenses over the next six months.
d.
A radio station replaces its late-night deejay with a younger deejay to see if they can
attract a larger listening audience.
e.
All of these are examples of incremental change.
43. One way an employee can support continuous learning in an organization is to:
a.
create new knowledge.
b.
apply new knowledge.
c.
document what is known.
d.
learn through experience.
e.
all of these behaviors.
44. Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of line managers in HR planning, alignment, and
change?
a.
collaborate in the collection and interpretation of data to help assess progress.
b.
systematically scan and assess the environment to establish objectives.
c.
learn about effective change processes.
d.
develop detailed HR objectives, plans, metrics, and timetables for strategic change.
e.
act as a role model for effective learning and change.
45. Which of the following is a reasonable HR metric for a bread bakery to use in evaluating the
performance of its bakers?
a.
the cost of the ingredients in a single loaf of bread
b.
the average number of loaves of bread one baker can produce in a standard eight-hour shift
c.
the degree of customer satisfaction with the cleanliness of the bakery
d.
the number of types of bread the bakery produces
e.
the average number of customers the bakery serves on Saturday mornings
1. Total quality management relies heavily on incremental change strategies.
2. Incremental change occurs when an organization is forced to change in response to some event.
3. To be successful, planned change should always follow a standardized series of seven steps.
4. Effective human resource planning considers only long-term change and ignores short-term change.
5. A study by The Conference Board found that customer-driven changes were uncommon in the
manufacturing and service sectors.
6. Once the objectives are clearly specified, HR plans for achieving the objectives can be developed.
7. When Ford Motors stopped manufacturing its own steel and began contracting this work out to another
company, it engaged in outsourcing.
8. When Toyota, headquartered in Aichi, Japan, built its first car manufacturing plant in the U.S., it was
engaging in offshoring.
9. The one basic reason that explains why people resist organizational planned change is fear.
10. Incorporating evaluation of change into the strategic plan for organizational change insures that the
process will be self-correcting.
SHORT ANSWER
1. What is the first phase in HR planning for strategic change?
2. List the important elements in the external environment.
3. What are the two commonly used types of forecasting techniques?
4. What is succession planning?
5. What is the best way to ensure that employees will accept organizational planned change?
ESSAY
1. Differentiate between radical organizational change and incremental organizational change.
2. How has the focus of HR planning evolved?
3. What are the implications for HR practices for holding people accountable for achieving the objectives
of a change?
4. How can a human resource information system (HRIS) facilitate an organization’s evaluation of the
success or failure of its change process?