A newly promoted HR head wants to decentralize decision-making so that team leaders can decide on hiring within their departments. However, top executives resist because they want control of all approvals. This tension reflects which organizational principle?

An organization undergoing digital transformation hires an external consultant to assess its readiness for adopting AI-based HR systems. This aligns best with which OD approach?

In a start-up, employees constantly shift tasks, help each other, and develop new roles depending on client needs. This reflects which organizational structure?

A supervisor motivates their team by saying, “If you meet your targets, you’ll get a bonus. If not, you miss out.” This is best explained by:

A company recently merged with another firm. Employees complain that management styles clash, and integration of processes is unclear. This situation belongs to which merger phase?

A manager insists on sticking with strict rules and procedures, believing employees dislike work and avoid responsibility. This assumption reflects:

A project manager adopts a leadership style that changes depending on whether employees are skilled and willing. If the team is skilled but unwilling, the leader should:

A senior manager argues, “There is no single best way to structure our teams. It depends on the environment and technology.” This reflects:

During restructuring, management cut an entire finance department, eliminating all jobs within it. This is an example of:

A company holds a workshop where employees analyze a realistic HR case and propose solutions. This training method is:

A company implements a policy requiring all employees to follow one boss only, to prevent confusion from multiple instructions. This principle is rooted in:

A manufacturing firm hires an external contractor to handle payroll services permanently, rather than managing it internally. This practice is best described as:

During a training session, employees are asked to act out a conflict between supervisor and subordinate, practicing resolution strategies. This is an example of:

In a team-based organization, members are empowered to make decisions and collaborate across functions. A common challenge in this structure is:

A manager praises an employee for showing initiative and allows them to design a new workflow system. This reflects Herzberg’s:

A firm with many layers of management, narrow spans of control, and slow decision-making is most likely operating in a:

An HR professional uses performance appraisal scores, surveys, and skills tests to determine which employees need further training. This is part of:

An organization believes employees will only be motivated if they feel outcomes are fair compared to their inputs and peers. This reflects:

A CEO adopts a leadership style that communicates a compelling vision, inspires trust, and encourages innovation. This reflects:

A company reduces its workforce by laying off employees across different units of the same department. This is an example of:

A manager notices that employees’ morale drops when their peers receive higher rewards for the same effort. To address this, the manager revises the bonus system to ensure fairness. This intervention is most aligned with:

An organization adopts a matrix structure, where employees report to both a functional manager and a project manager. A common downside of this setup is:

A department head emphasizes order, discipline, and formal authority, stating that employees must strictly follow organizational rules. This reflects which theorist’s principles?

A company launches a leadership program that encourages leaders to serve first, empower employees, and focus on their growth. This aligns with:

A new HR officer introduces job rotation to prevent monotony and broaden employees’ skill sets. This approach directly supports:

During a merger, the two companies struggle because employees cling to old practices, resisting change despite new policies. According to Lewin, they are stuck in which stage?

A manager uses logical arguments, data, and rational persuasion to gain compliance from subordinates. This is an example of:

An HR director argues that employees are motivated by autonomy, competence, and relatedness rather than external rewards. This best reflects:

A company experiencing rapid environmental uncertainty builds flexible sub-units that adapt differently to customer demands, but then struggles with coordinating them. This reflects whose contingency model?

A leader is praised for inspiring devotion through personal charm and extraordinary communication skills, but critics note that this style may fade if the leader leaves. This leadership theory is:

A newly hired HR manager emphasizes aligning training programs with long-term career planning and organizational growth, not just immediate job skills. This reflects the focus of:

A team begins brainstorming without structure, leading to overlapping ideas and confusion. The leader then assigns roles to clarify responsibilities. This addresses which team issue?

A company integrates sustainability and corporate social responsibility into its mission. Employees begin to internalize these values as part of “how we do things here.” This reflects which layer of organizational culture?

During job design, a supervisor increases employees’ decision-making autonomy and responsibility for outcomes. This practice is best described as:

A CEO announces that decision-making authority will be pushed downward, allowing middle managers and employees more control. This reflects:

A consultant suggests using surveys, interviews, and task analysis to clarify which organizational goals can be supported by training programs. This step refers to:

A supervisor relies on personal charm and likability to influence employees, rather than formal authority or expertise. This is an example of:

A manager designs training that allows employees to practice decision-making in a simulated work environment without real consequences. This method is:

A senior manager states: “Employees perform better when they believe in their own abilities to succeed.” This belief reflects which theory?

A company restructures into smaller autonomous divisions, each responsible for its own products and performance. This organizational structure is:

A manager tells employees: “If you finish this report on time, you can leave early.” This is an example of:

In a cross-functional project team, members hesitate to voice opposing views because they want to maintain harmony. This is a classic case of:

A supervisor designs jobs so that employees can complete an entire task from start to finish, not just fragments. This reflects which dimension of Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model?

An organization implements flexible systems, adaptive structures, and open communication to deal with uncertainty. This approach is most consistent with:

A company offers this as a way to tie employee rewards to organizational performance. This is an example of:

A leader focuses on maintaining control through rewards and punishments, ensuring compliance but not inspiring change. This is best described as:

A manager notices some employees overestimate how many others share their own opinions and work habits. This is an example of:

An HR department establishes mentoring programs, career planning, and coaching to prepare employees for future roles. This falls under:

A factory relies on standardized rules, strict hierarchy, and impersonality to achieve efficiency. This structure is best described as:

An organization launches a culture change program. The first step involves convincing employees that the current state is unacceptable and must change. According to Lewin, this is the stage of:

A manager observes that employees are more motivated when tasks are challenging but achievable, and when specific performance standards are set. This reflects:

A company implements quality circles, where employees regularly meet in small groups to discuss improvements in work processes. This practice comes from which movement?

An employee who excels in public speaking is assumed by the manager to also be highly competent in data analysis, even without evidence. This illustrates:

A large multinational organizes by geographic regions, each handling its own HR, finance, and operations. This is an example of:

A supervisor says: “I will provide close guidance until you show you can perform independently.” This reflects which leadership approach?

A firm downsizes by letting go of employees naturally as they retire or resign, instead of implementing layoffs. This is an example of:

An HR officer uses a competency model to identify what knowledge, skills, and behaviors are needed for success in a new role. This is an example of:

A manager emphasizes that work should be divided into smaller tasks to increase efficiency. This reflects whose principle?

A company forms a temporary team of experts from marketing, finance, and HR to develop a new product. After the project ends, the team disbands. This is known as:

A CEO states: “We must treat the organization as a living organism that adapts and evolves with its environment.” This reflects which organizational perspective?

A company encourages managers to adapt their leadership style to whether tasks are structured, leaders are accepted, and position power is strong. This reflects:

An HR officer is tasked to write down the specific duties, responsibilities, and reporting relationships of a position. This is part of:

An employee avoids participating in team tasks because they believe others will compensate for their lack of effort. This is:

A CEO adopts span of control as a guiding principle, insisting on fewer direct reports per manager to allow closer supervision. This is most associated with:

An organization designs jobs so that employees perceive their work as having an important impact on the lives of others. This matches which Job Characteristics dimension?

A training program begins with identifying the strategic goals of the company, and then determines how training can support them. This is an example of:

A leader clarifies roles, provides direction, and removes obstacles so employees can achieve their goals. This aligns with:

A company restructures so that employees report both to a functional head (HR, Finance) and a project leader. This creates potential for role conflict but enhances collaboration. The structure is:

A manager stresses punctuality, attendance, and compliance with organizational rules, but employees see little motivation beyond avoiding penalties. According to Herzberg, this reflects:

A consulting firm holds an outbound training program where employees engage in outdoor problem-solving activities to enhance teamwork. This is an example of:

New hires were promised stable schedules during recruitment, but are later moved to rotating shifts without consultation. Discretionary effort and commitment drop. What concept best explains this?

After repeated service failures, a company invites staff to question the assumptions behind current policies, not just patch errors, then redesigns rules accordingly. This reflects:

HR wants HR metrics to align directly with strategy (e.g., learning hours → capability; engagement → retention; time-to-fill → growth targets). Which system fits best?

A cross-functional team delivers bold ideas but misses details and deadlines. To balance the mix using Belbin’s Team Roles, the leader should add a:

Two departments with conflicting targets meet to design a process that fully meets both sets of goals; they invest time to integrate solutions rather than split the difference. Thomas–Kilmann style?

Leadership forms a guiding coalition for a major change, but jumps to “quick wins” before ensuring everyone understands the direction. According to Kotter, what step was skipped?

Applicants accept offers based on glossy ads, then quit within 60 days citing “the job wasn’t what I expected.” Which HR intervention fits best?

To improve a plant, HR and Operations redesign work so autonomous teams manage both the technical workflow and social norms, ensuring the two fit well. This is:

Three months after training, supervisors observe and rate whether participants actually apply the new coaching skills on the job. In Kirkpatrick, this is Level:

The firm maps critical roles and develops internal talent pipelines years ahead (mentoring, stretch roles, readiness charts) rather than only naming a backup. This is:

A newly promoted supervisor struggles to balance formal authority with the informal norms of their team. Which organizational concept best explains this tension?

A company uses assessment centers with simulations, group exercises, and role-plays to evaluate future leadership potential. This practice is primarily for:

A team experiences recurring delays because members wait for instructions rather than taking initiative. Which stage of Tuckman’s model are they most likely stuck in?

The HR department adopts a competency framework to align hiring, performance management, and career planning. This ensures consistency across systems. This reflects HR’s role in:

An organization introduces an employee suggestion system, where staff submit improvement ideas. Many ideas are implemented, boosting morale and efficiency. This practice is most related to:

A company invests in executive coaching for senior leaders to enhance interpersonal effectiveness and decision-making. This is an example of:

A manager insists on making all key decisions alone, even on issues where subordinates have expertise. This leadership style is:

A division is held accountable for its own profit and loss, operating as a semi-autonomous unit within the company. This describes which type of structure?

A company adopts 360-degree feedback, gathering performance ratings from supervisors, peers, subordinates, and even customers. This method’s main advantage is:

During OD interventions, the consultant facilitates sessions where employees openly share feelings about trust, communication, and conflict in the group. This method is known as:

A manager emphasizes that organizational systems must adapt to fit the environment; there is no single best way to organize. This reflects:

According to Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, which of the following is most likely a motivator rather than a hygiene factor?

An HR director designs rotations, mentorships, and stretch assignments to deliberately build leadership talent for the future. This reflects:

According to McClelland’s Needs Theory, a sales manager who thrives on competition, sets challenging goals, and pursues excellence is primarily driven by:

A leader inspires followers by articulating a vision, challenging assumptions, and fostering creativity, not just managing tasks. This is:

According to French & Raven’s Bases of Power, an HR manager influencing employees because of recognized expertise in labor law is exercising:

An organization redesigns jobs to increase autonomy, skill variety, and task significance, thereby enhancing motivation. This intervention is grounded in:

According to Kurt Lewin’s Force-Field Analysis, successful change occurs when:

A manager notes that employees are more likely to remember their first impression of a colleague, even when later performance differs. This reflects which perceptual bias?

An HR system that emphasizes equitable rewards, fair treatment, and transparent policies is most aligned with which concept?