Q&A Hero

Q: Henry, manager at Traders Inc., is confident about getting an Austrian supplier for the company. He is talking with the Austrian representatives over lunch. Which of the following should Henry avoid after the deal is made? A. Changing the subject to a personal one B. Selling the deal C. Leaving, if the other person does not care much about relationships D. Sticking around, if the other person wants to work on the relationship

Q: According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, how do Introverted types (I) gain energy? A. By focusing on inner thoughts B. By focusing on interpersonal relationships C. By gathering facts and details D. By focusing less on facts and more on possibilities E. By trying to be objective in making decisions

Q: Which of the following should one avoid when bargaining? A. Desperation and being intimidated B. Being the first to make a concession C. Coming back with a larger counter trade-off D. Staying within one's limit objective

Q: Sophia is a manager at Fabrics Inc. She needs to meet a few suppliers and negotiate with them for a shorter delivery time. When bargaining with the suppliers, Rita should avoid: A. focusing on obstacles instead of the suppliers. B. developing a buy-in relationship. C. being too quick to give in. D. bringing up the best alternative to a negotiated agreement.

Q: Hannah Barboza Inc., a publishing company, regularly assesses employees using different questionnaires. Recent assessments revealed that there were more employees who focused on the relationships between the ideas of the given projects and fewer employees who actually took the time to conduct thorough research on them. Based on these results, the managers were able to correctly assign employees to specific projects for the month. In this scenario, which of the following Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment dichotomies is Hannah Barboza Inc. using to allocate projects? A. Energy dichotomy B. Information-gathering dichotomy C. Decision-making dichotomy D. Lifestyle dichotomy E. Initiative-oriented dichotomy

Q: Dilton has a job offer from a mobile phone company. He is stalling the decision as he wants to weigh his career options. Which of the following steps should the hiring agent of the mobile phone company take to get Dilton to accept the offer? A. Ask for something in return. B. Opt for BATNA. C. Create urgency. D. Set a specific limit.

Q: The energy dichotomy of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator indicates _____. A. the preparations individuals make before making decisions B. the amount of consideration individuals give to their own and others' values and feelings C. individuals' degree of introversion or extroversion D. the hard facts of a situation E. individuals' tendency to be either flexible or structured

Q: "Martha is bargaining for compensation and benefits for the new job." Which of the following should she avoid? A. Having trade-offs ready B. Letting the other party make the first offer C. Asking for something in return D. Making the first offer

Q: For assessment to work efficiently, an employee must be: A. provided suggestions to improve his or her weak skills. B. evaluated discreetly so the employee does not pretend to be a model employee. C. present on the day the assessment occurs so that results of the feedback will be accurate. D. employed at the organization for at least a year. E. informed that an appraisal can take place at any time during the year.

Q: Rita works as a manager at Pinnacle Corp. She has a meeting with a few cement suppliers. When bargaining for the best price of the product with the suppliers, which of the following steps should Rita take? A. She should try to get the suppliers act defensive. B. She should open with some small talk. C. She should get right down to business. D. She should use negative statements if the suppliers are unfair.

Q: The process of collecting information and providing feedback to employees about their behavior, communication style, or skills is known as _____. A. requirements analysis B. data mining C. assessment D. counseling E. quality check

Q: Which of the following is the first step of bargaining? A. Letting the other party make the first offer B. Developing rapport and focusing on obstacles, not on the person C. Listening and asking questions to focus on meeting the other party's needs D. Asking for something in return

Q: A sales firm regularly enrolls some of its employees in a six-month marketing course with a leading university. At the end of the course, the employees are able to perform better in the organization. Which of the following methods of employee development has the firm used? A. Externship B. Formal education C. Assessment D. Interpersonal relationships E. Personality test

Q: Salt Crumbs general manager, Ricardo, believes that the best way to recruit managers for vacant, top-level positions in the organization is through internal assessment. The positions available include senior project manager, executive project director, and chief executive officer. He feels that an assessment can help him identify potential high performers for these positions from within the organization, without having to consult resources from outside the organization. His supervisor, Meghan, argues that it would be good to have fresh faces in the company, who may suggest new ways to perform old functions. Which of the following can weaken Meghan's argument? A. New recruits will bring in fresh ideas and will creatively perform a job that was considered monotonous earlier. B. Ricardo believes that hiring from outside the organization will be beneficial in the long run. C. Hiring internal resources will decrease unemployment in the region. D. Highly efficient workers who are already familiar with a company and its policies are better suited for executive positions than new employees. E. Supervisors find it monotonous socializing with the same crowd every day.

Q: Which of the following does bargaining include? A. Setting a specific limit objective B. Anticipating questions and objections and preparing answers C. Developing options and trade-offs D. Listening and asking questions to focus on meeting the other party's need

Q: Thompson Design, a popular furniture manufacturer, provides employee support through various workshops on interior design techniques. It also offers three-month courses on various aspects of decorating a home, from suitable paint for a media room to contemporary outdoor furnishings. This adds to employees' existing knowledge and skill sets, helping create customer satisfaction. In this scenario, which of the following approaches to employee development is Thompson Design taking? A. Assessment B. Formal education C. Job experiences D. Interpersonal relationships E. Counseling

Q: Which of the following is important when setting objectives during negotiating planning? A. Planning the best alternative to a negotiated agreement B. Finding out who really makes the decision C. Preparing answers for objections D. Developing options and trade-offs

Q: Wayne is a manager at Orange Inc. He has a meeting with a few suppliers from Australia. Which of the following steps of bargaining should Wayne take immediately after developing a rapport with them? A. Listen and ask questions to focus on meeting the other party's need. B. Let the other party make the first offer. C. Ask for something in return. D. Develop options and trade-offs.

Q: Which of the following is true of formal education as an approach to employee development? A. Organizations organize formal educational programs at the workplace or off site to support employee development. B. Formal education includes workshops that are open to outsiders as well as employees. C. As a prerequisite to formal education, trainees must enroll in various courses offered by an organization. D. Formal education includes presentations sent out by an organization, which enlist the ethics and policies educating employees from time to time. E. In an organization, formal education involves collating data pertaining to the development of projects.

Q: "If he doesn't agree on the rent I can afford, I'll wait till the end of the month so that Jenny can move in with me." Which of the following parts of negotiating planning is this an example of? A. The best alternative to a negotiated agreement B. A specific limit objective C. A target objective D. An opening objective offer

Q: The four general approaches that companies use for employee development include: A. formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships. B. job rotation, promotion, transfer, and job sharing. C. psychological tests, assessment centers, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and performance feedback. D. business games, formal courses, team building, and assessment. E. total quality management, Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, and quality function deployment.

Q: "I will make an offer of $4,000 for the bike." Which of the following aspects of negotiating planning is this an example of? A. The best alternative to a negotiated agreement B. A specific limit objective C. A target objective D. An opening objective offer

Q: _____ helps employees select development activities that prepare them to meet their career goals. A. Career path B. Training C. Policy analysis D. Job sharing E. Career management

Q: "If I do not get a good deal on the mortgage, I'll wait for a few months till I have more money." Which of the following parts of negotiating planning is this an example of? A. The best alternative to a negotiated agreement B. A target objective C. A specific limit objective D. An opening objective offer

Q: Protean careers require that employees: A. look for organizations to provide job security. B. take responsibility for managing their own careers. C. be specialized at repetitive tasks. D. look for organizations to provide a career ladder to climb to higher positions. E. focus on holding on to their jobs to avoid being laid off.

Q: In _____ power-distance cultures (for example, in Mexico, Venezuela, the Philippines, Yugoslavia, and France), using strong power and politics is acceptable because leaders are expected to behave differently from people in low ranks, and differences in rank are more apparent.

Q: A(n) _____ is a career that frequently changes based on changes in a person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment. A. prescribed career B. stable career C. flexible career D. established career E. protean career

Q: _____ etiquette refers to working in an open area close to others who can observe your behavior (see and hear you working and your nonwork activities).

Q: Identify the correct statement regarding protean careers. A. Employees in protean careers look for organizations to provide job security. B. Employees in protean careers take lesser responsibility for managing protean careers than for traditional careers. C. A protean career is one that does not change frequently. D. Employees in protean careers look for organizations to provide development opportunities based on the modern psychological contract. E. Protean careers are characterized by frequent changes due to changes in a person's desired level of compensation.

Q: Which of the following is true of the relationship between training and development? A. Training is future oriented, while development is focused on improvement of current job. B. The use of work experience is high in training but low in development. C. Participation in training is voluntary but compulsory in development. D. The goal of training is preparation for the current job, while the goal of development is preparation for changes in the current job. E. Training is often an ongoing process, while development tends to be a short-term process.

Q: _____ involves creating obligations and debts, developing alliances, and using them to accomplish objectives.

Q: _____ increases an employee's ability to move into jobs that may not yet exist. A. Development B. Qualification C. Physical appearance D. Personal background E. Ethnic culture

Q: The _____ tactic of influencing attempts to arouse people's enthusiasm.

Q: Managers provide for _____, a combination of formal education, job experiences, relationships, and assessment of personality and abilities to help employees prepare for the future of their careers. A. emotional development B. training programs C. employee development D. counselling sessions E. feedback

Q: The _____ persuasion tactic of influencing includes logical arguments with factual evidence to persuade the person that the behavior will result in meeting the objective.

Q: _____ power is based on the user's personal power.

Q: Research suggests that managers who participate in programs like Individual Coaching for Effectiveness (ICE) improve their skills and are less likely to be terminated.

Q: _____ power is based on the user's position power, which is given by the organization.

Q: The development of high-potential employees is a usually a very swift process.

Q: The use of _____ power involves threats and/or punishment to influence compliance.

Q: _____ power is derived from top-level management and is delegated down the chain of command.

Q: Women and minorities often have difficulty finding mentors.

Q: _____ power and politics includes behavior that benefits the individual and hurts the organization.

Q: The outcome of action planning often takes the form of a career development plan.

Q: In goal setting, it is the employee's responsibility to identify the goal and the method of determining his or her progress toward that goal.

Q: How are power, politics, and etiquette perceived and exercised globally?

Q: In a self-assessment, an organization's responsibility is to identify opportunities and areas that need improvement.

Q: Explain the steps in handling customer complaints.

Q: Explain the common expectations of bosses.

Q: Basic career management systems involve the four sequential steps of recruiting, relocation, reality check, and action planning.

Q: Coaches are peers or managers who work with other employees to motivate them, help them develop their skills, and provide them with reinforcement and feedback.

Q: Describe the three primary political behaviors commonly used in organizations.

Q: Mention appropriate uses of the influencing tactics. Some of the appropriate uses of the influencing tactics are: Ingratiation works best as a long-term influencing strategy to improve relationships. The ingratiation must also be sincere to be effective. If you usually don't compliment a person and all of a sudden you compliment him or her and then ask for a favor, the person will think you are manipulating. Thus, this technique can backfire on you.

Q: Mentoring programs tend to be very successful when they are compulsory.

Q: Describe the five influencing tactics.

Q: Explain the four steps of reading people. Reading people is a key interpersonal skill; it has four parts: 1. Put yourself in the place of the person you want to persuade (your boss, coworker). Anticipate how the person sees the world and what his or her expectations are during your persuasion interaction. 2. Get the other person's expectations right. If you don't, you most likely will not influence the person. 3. Incorporate the information about the other person's expectations into your persuasive presentation. In other words, use the influencing tactic that will work best with the person. For example, if you know the person likes to be praised, use ingratiation. If the person likes or expects a rational persuasion with facts and figures, use that tactic. If the person doesn't care much about facts and figures and is more emotional, use an inspirational appeal. 4. Keep the focus on the other person's expectations when trying to persuade. What's in it for them?

Q: The temporary cross-functional move is the least common way to use downward moves for employee development.

Q: Describe ways of increasing different power bases.

Q: An organization can use downward moves as a source of job experience.

Q: Describe the different bases of power.

Q: Review the list of etiquette tips. Which three tips that you don't use often now might help you in the future? How will you change your etiquette?

Q: Describe your relationship with your current peers and members from other departments. How do you cooperate with them, compete with them, and criticize them? How can you improve your relationship with your current peers and members of other departments?

Q: A performance appraisal process must identify causes of the performance discrepancy and develop plans for improving performance.

Q: Describe your relationship with your current or past boss. Did you meet the five common expectations of bosses? How can you improve your relationship with your current and/or future boss?

Q: Research suggests that assessment center ratings are valid for predicting performance, salary level, and career advancement.

Q: How would you assess your political skill at using networking, reciprocity, and coalition building to help you get what you want? What can you do to improve?

Q: Research on the validity, reliability, and effectiveness of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is inconclusive.

Q: When someone tries to influence you, which influencing tactic works best and why? Why doesn't this same tactic work best for everyone?

Q: Do you agree with the saying, "It's not what you know, it's who you know that is important"? Is it ethical to use connection power to get jobs and other things?

Q: According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, individuals with a Feeling (F) preference try always to be objective in making decisions, whereas individuals with a Thinking (T) preference are more subjective.

Q: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an assessment tool for behavioral styles based on the works of the psychologist William Marston.

Q: Some people say that power and politics can't be used ethically. Do you agree?

Q: The most frequent uses of assessment are to identify employees with managerial potential to measure current managers' strengths and weaknesses.

Q: Give a job example of when a coworker behaved with improper in-person etiquette.

Q: The approaches to employee development fall into four broad categories: formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships.

Q: Give an example, preferably from an organization you work(ed) for, of a situation in which you had good human relations with members of other departments. Describe how your relations affected your performance, the other departments, and the organization as a whole.

Q: Give an example, preferably from an organization for which you work or have worked, of a situation in which you had good human relations with your peers. Describe how you cooperated with, competed with, and/or criticized your peers.

Q: A protean career is one that remains constant despite the changes in a person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment.

Q: Does/did your present/past boss use the open-door policy? Explain.

Q: Development implies learning that is not necessarily related to an employee's current job.