SHRM-CP INTERPERSONAL EXAM
QUESTIONS & DETAILED COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS
HR Stakeholders - Correct Answer ✔✔ External customers include those receiving or
purchasing the organization's products or services and those who seek a return on their
investment in the organization.
Internal customers include a number of roles in the organization including Senior
management, Boards of directors, Functional leaders and Employees
Suppliers, Communities, political groups, religious institutions, and governments focus
on shared interests
Paths to Effective Work Relationships - Correct Answer ✔✔ Strive for diversity in the
range of your relationships—diversity in age, gender, background, ethnicity, and
expertise. This provides an opportunity to expand your understanding of the rest of the
world.
Invest time and energy in developing and sustaining relationships. This means
attending to others even when you have no specific needs to fulfill. You are building a
resource you may need to turn to later.
Develop an ease with "small talk" about non-work matters. Look for openings for
conversation, such as photos or references to leisure activities.
Talk about yourself without dominating the conversation.
Learn to ask about others without prying into personal matters.
Be considerate of other people's time and obligations. Wait for more opportune times for
discussions.
Types of conflict - Correct Answer ✔✔ Task conflict- Conflict can derive from
disagreements over how to do a particular task, or it can relate to personal differences,
such as culture, cognitive and communication styles, or a need for control or
dominance. Resolving task conflict may be time-consuming, because it often requires
negotiation or consensus building to establish the best path forward. Task conflict,
however, can sometimes lead to discovering better ways to do things—more efficient
approaches that save time and resources or more innovative approaches that produce
better results.
, Interpersonal conflicts- may sometimes be disguised as task conflicts. Because the real
issues are not being resolved, the conflict may linger and distract teams from important
work. Interpersonal conflicts require that at least one of the parties in the conflict has
emotional intelligence and skill in negotiating. Or they require the intervention of a
leader who can impose ground rules for behavior and refocus the team on the task. Like
task conflict, however, some level of interpersonal conflict may be acceptable. When
team members conflict because of issues related to diversity, the cost of conflict may
outweigh the benefits of having diversity in a team or organization.
inside a team (intragroup conflict) or between the team and an outside group, such as
another HR team or another function in the organization (intergroup conflict). Conflicts
within in a team may be related to task or personality, but conflicts between groups are
frequently about competition for limited resources or conflicting goals. These intergroup
conflicts may be resolved through negotiation, but they may require intervention by a
third party who is not directly involved in the conflict. When called upon to intervene as a
third party in a conflict, HR professionals should remember to apply thei
Conflict Resolution Tactics - Correct Answer ✔✔ Accommodate (or smooth)- The leader
restores good relations by emphasizing agreement and downplaying disagreement.
(Useful when there is little time to be lost and movement forward is needed. It does not,
however, address the root conflict. If the group continues, the conflict will probably
recur.)
Assert (or force)- The leader imposes a solution. One side wins and the other loses—
hence the term "win/lose" conflict resolution.(Useful in a crisis because it resolves the
issue quickly; also when authority is being challenged or when the impact on future
relations with the group is minimal. Like accommodation, it does not permanently
address the problem.)
Avoid- The leader withdraws from the situation or accepts it, leaving the conflict to be
resolved by others or remain unresolved. (Useful when the conflict will resolve soon
without any direct intervention or when the conflict or relationship is not worth the time
investment. Leaders should be aware that avoiding conflict can weaken their role in the
organization and may damage the group by leaving a problem unresolved or allowing it
to be poorly resolved.)
Collaborate (or confront)- The leader and those in conflict accept the fact that they
disagree and look for a "third way," a new solution to the problem of the conflict. Since
both sides contribute to the solution, this may be seen as "win/win" conflict resolution.
(Useful when the stakes are high, relationships are important, and time allows. (It does
require time and strong interpersonal skills.) There is greater chance for an enduring,
equitable, mutually satisfying resolution.)
Compromise- The leader asks those in conflict to bargain—altering positions on
different issues until a mutually acceptable solution is defined. The solution relies on
concessions. For this reason, it is often referred to as "lose/lose"
QUESTIONS & DETAILED COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS
HR Stakeholders - Correct Answer ✔✔ External customers include those receiving or
purchasing the organization's products or services and those who seek a return on their
investment in the organization.
Internal customers include a number of roles in the organization including Senior
management, Boards of directors, Functional leaders and Employees
Suppliers, Communities, political groups, religious institutions, and governments focus
on shared interests
Paths to Effective Work Relationships - Correct Answer ✔✔ Strive for diversity in the
range of your relationships—diversity in age, gender, background, ethnicity, and
expertise. This provides an opportunity to expand your understanding of the rest of the
world.
Invest time and energy in developing and sustaining relationships. This means
attending to others even when you have no specific needs to fulfill. You are building a
resource you may need to turn to later.
Develop an ease with "small talk" about non-work matters. Look for openings for
conversation, such as photos or references to leisure activities.
Talk about yourself without dominating the conversation.
Learn to ask about others without prying into personal matters.
Be considerate of other people's time and obligations. Wait for more opportune times for
discussions.
Types of conflict - Correct Answer ✔✔ Task conflict- Conflict can derive from
disagreements over how to do a particular task, or it can relate to personal differences,
such as culture, cognitive and communication styles, or a need for control or
dominance. Resolving task conflict may be time-consuming, because it often requires
negotiation or consensus building to establish the best path forward. Task conflict,
however, can sometimes lead to discovering better ways to do things—more efficient
approaches that save time and resources or more innovative approaches that produce
better results.
, Interpersonal conflicts- may sometimes be disguised as task conflicts. Because the real
issues are not being resolved, the conflict may linger and distract teams from important
work. Interpersonal conflicts require that at least one of the parties in the conflict has
emotional intelligence and skill in negotiating. Or they require the intervention of a
leader who can impose ground rules for behavior and refocus the team on the task. Like
task conflict, however, some level of interpersonal conflict may be acceptable. When
team members conflict because of issues related to diversity, the cost of conflict may
outweigh the benefits of having diversity in a team or organization.
inside a team (intragroup conflict) or between the team and an outside group, such as
another HR team or another function in the organization (intergroup conflict). Conflicts
within in a team may be related to task or personality, but conflicts between groups are
frequently about competition for limited resources or conflicting goals. These intergroup
conflicts may be resolved through negotiation, but they may require intervention by a
third party who is not directly involved in the conflict. When called upon to intervene as a
third party in a conflict, HR professionals should remember to apply thei
Conflict Resolution Tactics - Correct Answer ✔✔ Accommodate (or smooth)- The leader
restores good relations by emphasizing agreement and downplaying disagreement.
(Useful when there is little time to be lost and movement forward is needed. It does not,
however, address the root conflict. If the group continues, the conflict will probably
recur.)
Assert (or force)- The leader imposes a solution. One side wins and the other loses—
hence the term "win/lose" conflict resolution.(Useful in a crisis because it resolves the
issue quickly; also when authority is being challenged or when the impact on future
relations with the group is minimal. Like accommodation, it does not permanently
address the problem.)
Avoid- The leader withdraws from the situation or accepts it, leaving the conflict to be
resolved by others or remain unresolved. (Useful when the conflict will resolve soon
without any direct intervention or when the conflict or relationship is not worth the time
investment. Leaders should be aware that avoiding conflict can weaken their role in the
organization and may damage the group by leaving a problem unresolved or allowing it
to be poorly resolved.)
Collaborate (or confront)- The leader and those in conflict accept the fact that they
disagree and look for a "third way," a new solution to the problem of the conflict. Since
both sides contribute to the solution, this may be seen as "win/win" conflict resolution.
(Useful when the stakes are high, relationships are important, and time allows. (It does
require time and strong interpersonal skills.) There is greater chance for an enduring,
equitable, mutually satisfying resolution.)
Compromise- The leader asks those in conflict to bargain—altering positions on
different issues until a mutually acceptable solution is defined. The solution relies on
concessions. For this reason, it is often referred to as "lose/lose"
