Employee Training And Development 6th Edition by Raymond Noe -Test Bank A+

Description

1. refers to the process of collecting the outcomes needed to determine whether training is effective.
2. Training evaluation
3. Program design
4. Performance appraisal
5. Needs assessment

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following statements best differentiates formative evaluation from summative evaluation?
2. Formative evaluation mainly involves collecting quantitative data, whereas summative evaluation involves collecting qualitative data.
3. Formative evaluation takes place on the completion of training, whereas summative evaluation takes place during program design and development.
4. Formative evaluation focuses on how to make a training program better, whereas summative evaluation helps to determine the extent to which trainees have changed after training.
5. Formative evaluation includes measuring the monetary benefits that a company receives from a training program, whereas summative evaluation measures beliefs and opinions of the trainees.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Formative evaluation involves collecting qualitative data about a training program from trainees mainly through:
2. their opinions and feelings about the program.
3. measures of performance such as volume of sales.
4. tests and ratings of their behavior.
5. the return on investment method.

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. The evaluation process ideally begins with:
2. developing outcome measures.
3. choosing an evaluation strategy.
4. developing measurable learning objectives.
5. conducting a needs analysis.

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. The _____ training outcome is collected to determine whether trainees are using training content back on the job.
2. reaction
3. learning
4. cognitive
5. result

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. According to Kirkpatrick’s framework for categorizing training outcomes, _____ outcomes are level 1 criteria that are often called class or instructor evaluations.
2. learning
3. reaction
4. skill-based
5. affective

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following types of training outcomes are collected when trainees are asked to rate their level of satisfaction with the trainer at the end of a training program?
2. Result
3. Cognitive
4. Reaction
5. Behavior-based

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Typically, _____ are used to assess cognitive outcomes.
2. attitude surveys
3. observations
4. focus groups
5. pencil-and-paper tests

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following is an affective outcome collected in a training evaluation?
2. Learners’ satisfaction with training
3. Customer service orientation
4. Increased production
5. Reduced costs of production

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. If a firm measures its sales volume before and after a training program, it is typically assessing the _____ outcome.
2. reaction
3. behavior-based
4. learning
5. results

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following is true of return on investment (ROI)?
2. It is referred to as level 3 evaluation in Kirkpatrick’s framework for categorizing training outcomes.
3. It refers to comparing sales activity before and after a training program.
4. Dollar value of productivity divided by training costs reflects return on investment.
5. The method of measurement for return on investment typically involves tests, surveys, and interviews.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Behavior or skill-based outcomes are best measured by _____.
2. surveys
3. interviews
4. focus groups
5. observations

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. If a manager believes that a training program is valuable and hence provides higher ratings of job performance to those trainees who attended the training program, then the training outcomes will lack relevance due to _____.
2. criterion contamination
3. criterion deficiency
4. criterion irreducibility
5. criterion maturation

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. _____ refers to the ease with which training outcome measures can be collected.
2. Reliability
3. Practicality
4. Acceptability
5. Relevance

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Appropriate training outcomes need to be discriminative which implies that:
2. tests given to employees before and after a training program should differ.
3. trainees should be asked to take a reliable test that includes items for which the meaning or interpretation change over time.
4. trainees’ performance on the outcome should actually reflect true differences in performance.
5. different employees should be given different tests for measuring their performance on the same outcome.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. If trainers are interested in the generalizability of a study’s results to other groups and situations, then they are said to be interested in the _____ of the study.
2. outcome practicality
3. criterion relevance
4. external validity
5. outcome believability

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following is a threat to internal validity?
2. Characteristics of trainees influence program effectiveness.
3. Being evaluated causes participants to try harder in training program.
4. Trainees pay extra attention to material on a test before training.
5. Training group differs from comparison group on individual differences that influence outcomes.

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following statements is true of comparison groups?
2. The use of a comparison group poses a threat to internal validity.
3. Comparison group consists of a group of employees who do not attend the training program.
4. Employees in a comparison group have personal characteristics that are different from other trainees.
5. Use of a comparison group in training evaluation increases the possibility that changes found in the outcome measures are due to factors other than training.

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following statements is true of random assignment?
2. It assigns employees to a training program without considering their individual differences.
3. It results in an unequal distribution of individual characteristics such as age, gender, and motivation in the comparison group and the training group.
4. It increases the effects of employees dropping out of the study (mortality).
5. It increases the differences between the training group and comparison group in ability, knowledge, skill, or other personal characteristics.

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. A firm that aims at improving readily observable outcomes such as productivity by collecting related data at periodic intervals both before and after training is typically applying the _____ evaluation design.
2. Solomon four-group
3. pretest/post-test
4. return on investment
5. time series

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. _____ is a time period in which participants no longer receive training intervention.
2. Regression
3. Mortality
4. Reversal
5. Maturation

Answer: C

Difficulty: Easy

1. Which of the following statements is true of Solomon four-group evaluation design?
2. It is mainly used by companies that are uncomfortable with excluding certain employees or that intend to train only a small group of employees.
3. It is an evaluation design in which pre-training outcomes are completely ignored.
4. It combines both pretest/post-test comparison group and post-test-only control group design.
5. Relative to the other evaluation designs it is more economical and takes lesser time to conduct.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Evaluation designs without pretest or comparison groups are most appropriate when:
2. information regarding training effectiveness is not needed immediately.
3. companies are interest in determining how much change has occurred.
4. a company has a strong orientation toward evaluation.
5. a company is only interested in whether trainees have achieved a certain proficiency level.

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. ROI analysis is best suited for training programs that are:
2. attended by few employees.
3. inexpensive and have limited visibility.
4. focused on an operational issue.
5. one-time events.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. _____ refers to concrete examples of the impact of training that show how learning has led to results that a company finds worthwhile and managers find credible.
2. Utility analysis
3. Success case
4. Return on expectation
5. Outcome practicality

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

True/ False

1. The influence of training is largest for organizational performance outcomes and weakest for financial outcomes.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Pilot testing refers to the process of previewing the training program with potential trainees and managers or with other customers.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Formative evaluation usually involves collecting quantitative data through tests or objective measures of performance.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. In Kirkpatrick’s five-level framework for categorizing training outcomes, the levels indicate the importance of the outcomes.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Results belong to the level 1 criteria in Kirkpatrick’s framework for categorizing training outcomes.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. A pencil-and-paper test is ideal for measuring skill-based outcomes.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. A reliable test includes items for which the meaning or interpretation does not change over time.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Outcome measures are perfectly related to each other.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. If instructional objectives identify business-related outcomes such as increased customer service, then reaction outcomes should be used in the evaluation.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Reaction and cognitive outcomes do not help determine how much trainees actually use training content in their jobs.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. No evaluation design can ensure that the results of the evaluation are completely due to training.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. The believability of study results refers to external validity.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. A comparison group refers to a group of employees who participate in the evaluation study but do not attend the training program.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. The Hawthorne effect refers to employees in an evaluation study performing at a low level because of the attention they receive.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Evaluation designs without pretest or comparison groups are most appropriate when companies are interested in determining how much change has occurred in trainees.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. The Solomon four-group design combines the pretest/post-test comparison group and the post-test-only control group design.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Return on investment (ROI) is used to show a training program’s cost effectiveness before it has been delivered.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. It is necessary to limit return on investment analysis only to certain training programs as it can be costly.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Once the costs and benefits of the training program are determined, ROI is calculated by dividing return or benefits by costs.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. A training activity dashboard does not provide a perspective of future learning.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer/Essay

1. Why is it important to evaluate a training program?

Answer:

It is important to evaluate a training program for the following reasons:

• To identify the program’s strengths and weaknesses; to determine if objectives are being met, to examine the quality of the learning environment, and whether transfer of training to the job is occurring.
• To assess whether the training content, organization, and administration of the program including the schedule, facilities, trainers, and materials contribute to learning and transfer.
• To identify which trainees benefited and which did not.
• To collect information to use in marketing training programs.
• To determine the financial benefits and costs of the program.
• To compare the costs and benefits of training versus nontraining investments.
• To compare the costs and benefits of different training programs.

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Describe the evaluation process for training.

Answer:

The evaluation process should begin with determining training needs. The next step in the process is to identify specific, measurable training objectives to guide the program. The more specific and measurable these objectives are, the easier it is to identify relevant outcomes for the evaluation. Based on the learning objectives and analysis of transfer of training, outcome measures are designed to assess the extent to which learning and transfer have occurred. Once the outcomes have been identified, the next step is to determine an evaluation strategy. The results of the evaluation are used to modify, market, or gain additional support for the program. The results of the evaluation should also be used to encourage all stakeholders in the training process—including managers, employees, and trainers—to design or choose training that helps the company meet its business strategy and helps managers and employees meet their goals.

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Identify the ways to minimize threats to validity.

Answer:

There are three ways to minimize threats to validity: the use of pretests and post-tests in evaluation designs, comparison groups, and random assignment.

• Pretests and Post-tests

One way to improve the internal validity of the study results is to first establish a baseline or pretraining measure of the outcome. Another measure of the outcomes can be taken after training. This is referred to as a post-training measure. A comparison of the post-training and pretraining measures can indicate the degree to which trainees have changed as a result of training.

• Use of comparison groups

Internal validity can be improved by using a control or comparison group. A comparison group refers to a group of employees who participate in the evaluation study but do not attend the training program.

• Random assignment

Random assignment refers to assigning employees to the training or comparison group on the basis of chance alone. That is, employees are assigned to the training program without consideration of individual differences (ability or motivation) or prior experiences.

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. What conditions require a company to consider a rigorous evaluation design (pretest/post-test with comparison group)?

Answer:

A more rigorous evaluation design (pretest/post-test with comparison group) should be considered if any of the following conditions is true:

• The evaluation results can be used to change the program.
• The training program is ongoing and has the potential to have an important influence on employees or customers.
• The training program involves multiple classes and a large number of trainees.
• Cost justification for training is based on numerical indicators. (Here, the company has a strong orientation toward evaluation.)
• Trainers or others in the company have the expertise (or the budget to purchase expertise from outside the company) to design and evaluate the data collected from an evaluation study.
• The cost of the training creates a need to show that it works.
• There is sufficient time for conducting an evaluation. Here, information regarding training effectiveness is not needed immediately.
• There is interest in measuring change (in knowledge, behavior, skill, etc.) from pretraining levels or in comparing two or more different programs.

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. How does workforce-analytics help determine the value of learning activities?

Answer:

The value of learning activities is best determined through the use of workforce analytics. Workforce analytics refers to the practice of using quantitative methods and scientific methods to analyze data from human resource databases, corporate financial statements, employee surveys, and other datasources to make evidence-based decisions and show that human resource practices (including training, development, and learning) influence important company metrics. Each company needs to use data and metrics that are related to its business strategy or goals.

Difficulty Level: Medium

Chapter 7

Multiple Choice

1. _____ is an example of context-based learning created and guided by companies.
2. Lecture
3. Mentoring
4. Coaching
5. Simulation

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following is a presentation method of training?
2. On-the-job training
3. Lecture
4. Simulation
5. Case study

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Lecture as a presentation method:
2. emphasizes active trainee involvement and feedback.
3. is an expensive and time-consuming way to communicate information.
4. can be easily employed with large groups of trainees.
5. allows for strong connection to the work environment and easy transfer of training.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following requires least participation from trainees?
2. Apprenticeship
3. Case study
4. Simulation
5. Audiovisual instruction

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following statements is true of learning through videos?
2. When trainees learn through videos they have no control over their learning.
3. Video requires great knowledge of technology and equipment.
4. Trainees have access to videos even after a training session.
5. Program content in videos is affected by the interests and goals of the trainer.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following statements is true of on-the-job training (OJT)?
2. It is a type of formal training.
3. OJT cannot be used for training newly hired employees.
4. Skills learned in OJT are easily transferred to the job.
5. OJT results in companies incurring high costs on materials and trainers’ salary.

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following methods allows employees to take responsibility for all aspects of learning, including when it is conducted and who will be involved in it?
2. Self-directed learning
3. Lecture
4. Apprenticeship
5. Business game

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Development of effective self-directed learning typically begins with:
2. writing trainee-centered learning objectives directly related to the tasks.
3. conducting a job analysis to identify the tasks that must be covered.
4. developing content for the learning package.
5. developing an evaluation package.

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following training methods involve assisting a certified tradesperson at the work site?
2. Apprenticeships
3. Simulations
4. Business games
5. Role plays

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following statements is true of the simulation training method?
2. Simulations cannot be used to teach management and interpersonal skills.
3. Simulators are inexpensive to develop.
4. Simulators need a one-time information update about the work environment.
5. Simulators need to have elements identical to those found in the work environment.

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. A case study:
2. is a training method that replicates a physical equipment that employees use on a job.
3. is a description about how employees or an organization dealt with a difficult situation.
4. involves assisting a certified tradesperson (a journey worker) at the work site.
5. involves observing peers performing a job and then trying to imitate their behavior.

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following statements is true of business games?
2. Business games are non-competitive.
3. In business games, trainees know for certain the consequences of their actions.
4. There are no limitations for participant behavior in business games.
5. In business games, several alternative courses of action are available to trainees.

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. _____ is based on the principles of social learning theory.
2. Standard lecture training
3. Simulation
4. Behavior modeling
5. Social media learning

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Vicarious reinforcement is most relevant to _____.
2. simulations
3. behavior modeling
4. case studies
5. lectures

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following statements is true of key behaviors in behavior modeling?
2. In behavior modeling, key behaviors can be performed in any order for a task to be completed.
3. The development of general key behaviors promotes far transfer of training.
4. People learning interpersonal skills must develop more specific key behaviors rather than general key behaviors.
5. Effective modeling displays present models engaging in positive use of key behaviors but not negative use.

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Key behavior practice sessions are most effective when they allow trainees to practice the behaviors _____.
2. multiple times
3. in a large group
4. in a group where evaluation apprehension is high
5. without any feedback

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following is the first stage of an experiential learning training program?
2. Take part in a behavioral simulation
3. Analyze the activity
4. Gain conceptual knowledge and theory
5. Connect the theory and activity with on-the-job or real-life situations

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. _____ refers to the training that a team manager or facilitator receives and involves training them on ways to resolve conflict within the team.
2. Guided team self-correction
3. Scenario-based training
4. Team leader training
5. Cross training

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. _____ best prepares team members to step in and take the place of a member who may temporarily or permanently leave the team.
2. Guided team self-correction
3. Cross training
4. Coordination training
5. Scenario-based training

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. _____ is a group building method that may include customers and vendors, and addresses problems such as how to change the business and develop global leaders.
2. Action learning
3. Adventure learning
4. Cross training
5. Guided team self-correction

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Six Sigma and Kaizen, black belt training programs, involve principles of:
2. adventure learning.
3. action learning.
4. vicarious reinforcement.
5. social learning theory.

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Which of the following training methods is best suited for attitude learning outcomes?
2. On-the-job training
3. Self-directed learning
4. Apprenticeship
5. Role play

Answer: D

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. The first and the most important step in choosing a training method is to identify the:
2. cost related to the training method.
3. type of learning outcome the training should influence.
4. effectiveness rating of the training method.
5. time required to complete the training method.

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Which of the following statements with regard to comparison of training methods is true?
2. There is considerable overlap between learning outcomes across the training methods.
3. Group building methods focus solely on team learning and not on individual learning.
4. Presentation methods provide a better learning environment and transfer of training than the hands-on methods.
5. Companies that have a larger budget for training programs should choose a presentation method over a hands-on method.

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. If companies have a limited budget for developing new training methods, the most appropriate hands-on training method will be _____.
2. simulation
3. team training
4. on-the-job training
5. action learning

Answer: C

Difficulty Level: Easy

True/ False

1. Context-based learning is unique to an employee’s needs.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. The competencies that are developed through social learning are typically not necessary for successful performance of one’s job.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Social contextual learning consists of formal training activities designed and developed by a company.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Presentation methods are methods in which trainees are active participants in training.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Lecture is one of the most expensive and time-consuming training method.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. A potential disadvantage of a panel is that trainees who are relatively naive about a topic may have difficulty understanding the important points.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Hands-on methods are training methods that do not require a trainee to be actively involved in learning.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. On-the-job training is considered informal because it does not occur as part of a training program.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. On-the-job training needs huge investment in time and money for materials, the trainer’s salary, and instructional design.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. In self-directed learning, trainers do not control or disseminate instruction.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Apprenticeships provide guarantee that jobs will be available to the trainee when the program is completed.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Case study is inappropriate for developing higher-order intellectual skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Business games mimic the competitive nature of business.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. In a role play, outcomes depend on the emotional reactions of other trainees.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Behavior modeling is more appropriate for teaching factual information or knowledge than for teaching interpersonal skills.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. In behavior modeling, key behaviors are typically performed in a specific order for a task to be completed.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. People learning interpersonal skills must develop specific key behaviors that are explained in great detail.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Effective modeling displays presents models engaging in both positive use of key behaviors and negative use.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Group building methods focus on individual as well as team learning.
2. True
3. False

Answer: A

Difficulty Level: Easy

1. Presentation methods of training are more effective than the hands-on methods.
2. True
3. False

Answer: B

Difficulty Level: Medium

Short Answer/Essay

1. What should an effective on-the-job (OJT) training program include?

Answer:

Effective OJT programs include:

• A policy statement that describes the purpose of OJT and emphasizes the company’s support for it.
• A clear specification of who is accountable for conducting OJT. If managers conduct OJT, this is mentioned in their job descriptions and is part of their performance evaluations.
• A thorough review of OJT practices (program content, types of jobs, length of program, cost savings) at other companies in similar industries.
• Training of managers and peers in the principles of structured OJT
• Availability of lesson plans, checklists, procedure manuals, training manuals, learning contracts, and progress reports for use by employees who conduct OJT.
• Evaluation of employees’ levels of basic skills (reading, computation, and writing) before OJT.

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Elaborate the process used for case development.

Answer:

The first step in the process is to identify a problem or situation. It is important to consider if the story is related to the instructional objectives, will provoke a discussion, forces decision making, can be told in a reasonable time period, and is applicable to the situations that trainees may face. Information on the problem or situation must also be readily accessible. The next step is to research documents, interview participants, and obtain data that provide the details of the case. The third step is to outline the story and link the details and exhibits to relevant points in the story. Fourth, the media used to present the case should be determined. Also, at this point in case development, the trainer should consider how the case exercise will be conducted. This may involve determining if trainees will work individually or in teams, and how the students will report results of their analyses. Finally, the actual case materials need to be prepared. This includes assembling exhibits (figures, tables, articles, job descriptions, etc.), writing the story, preparing questions to guide trainees’ analysis, and writing an interesting, attention-getting case opening that will attract trainees’ attention and provide a quick orientation to the case.

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. What activities do trainers need to engage before, during, and after a role play to make it effective?

Answer:

For role plays to be effective, trainers need to engage in several activities before, during, and after the role play. They include:

• Provide background information on the purpose of and context for the role play.
• Make sure that a script is provided with enough detail for trainees to understand their role.
• The room is arranged so trainees can see and hear the role players.
• Observations sheets and checklists that emphasize the issues in the role play are developed and used.
• Debriefing occurs on the experience of the role players and observers, the relationship of the role play to the company context, and important learning points.

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Mention the six characteristics of effective modeling displays.

Answer:

Effective modeling displays have six characteristics:

• The display clearly presents the key behaviors. The music and the characteristics of the situation shown in the display do not interfere with the trainee seeing and understanding the key behaviors.
• The model is credible to the trainees.
• An overview of the key behaviors is presented.
• Each key behavior is repeated. The trainee is shown the relationship between the behavior of the model and each key behavior.
• A review of the key behaviors is included.
• The display presents models engaging in both positive use of key behaviors and negative use (i.e., ineffective models not using the key behaviors).

Difficulty Level: Medium

1. Write a note on Kaizen.

Answer:

Kaizen, the Japanese word for improvement, is one of the underlying principles of lean manufacturing and total quality management. Kaizen refers to practices participated in by employees from all levels of the company that focus on continuous improvement of business processes. Kaizen involves considering a continuous cycle of activities, including planning, doing, checking, and acting (PDCA). Statistical process control techniques are used by employees to identify causes of problems and potential solutions. They include process flow analysis, cause and effect diagrams, control charts, histograms, and scattergrams.

Difficulty Level: Medium