SHRM CP 2026 CORE EXAM TEST QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Coaching leader - ✔✔leader develops team members skills, believes that success
comes from aligning org goals with employees personal and professional goals.
effective when leaders are highly skilled in strategic management, communication, and
motivate and they can manage their time to include coaching as a primary activity.
Team members must also be receptive to coaching. ineffective when employees resist
changing their performance.
✔✔Blake-Mouton Theory - ✔✔Highest to lowest (R to L, Top to Bottom):
1: Team Leader
2. Country Club
3. Middle of the Road
4. Authoritarian
5. Improverished Leader
✔✔Team Leader (Blake Mouton Theory) - ✔✔High task, high relationship. Lead by
positive examples, foster a team environment, and encourage individual and team
development.
✔✔middle of the road managers - ✔✔midpoint task and relationship. get the work done,
but not considered leaders.
✔✔authoritarian managers - ✔✔high task, low relationship. expect people to do what
they are told without questions and tend not to foster collaboration.
✔✔impoverished managers - ✔✔low task, low relationship. "delegate and disappear".
detach themselves, often creating power struggles.
✔✔country club managers - ✔✔low task, high relationships. create secure environment
and trust individuals to accomplish goals. avoid punitive actions so not to jeopardize
relationships.
✔✔Situational Theories - ✔✔the effectiveness of a particular style of leader behavior
depends on the situation
✔✔Hershey and Blanchard's Situational Theory - ✔✔manager should consider an
employee's psychological and job maturity before deciding whether task performance or
maintenance behaviors are more important. Telling - when employee isnt motivated or
competent. selling - when competent but still needs focus or motivation. participating -
competent works can be including in problem solving and coached on higher skills.
delegating - very competent employees can benefit from higher levels of autonomy and
self-direction.
, ✔✔Fiedler's Contingency Theory - ✔✔leaders change the situation to make it more
"favorable," more likely to produce good outcomes. Situation favorableness occurs
when: relationships are strong, task structure and requirements are clear, leader can
exert necessary power to reach group goals.
✔✔Path-Goal Theory - ✔✔A theory that states that it is the leader's job to assist
followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to
ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or
organization. Directive - help the employee understand the task and its goal. Supportive
- Try to fulfill employee's relationship needs. Achievement - motivate by setting
challenging goals. Participative - provide more control over work and leverage group
expertise through participative decision making.
✔✔legitimate power - ✔✔Created formally - through title and position in hierarchy.
Effective: can save time in decision making and focus team on org's goals. limits:
insufficient if leader is not competent and effective.
✔✔reward power - ✔✔power that comes from the ability to provide rewards or favors.
effective: can appeal to teams individual motivators. Limits: only useful when leader has
access to and can give meaningful rewards.
✔✔expert power - ✔✔power that is based on the special knowledge, skills, and
expertise that a leader possesses. effective: improve teams efforts by offering advice,
guidance. Can win respect for the team. limits: can create dependency and weaken
teams initiative or discourage their own contributions.
✔✔referent power - ✔✔power that comes from the force of a leaders personality -
subordinates' and coworkers' respect, admiration, and loyalty. effective: appeals to
social needs of individuals and desire for affiliation. Will weaken if leader is not
competent, effective, fair.
✔✔coercive power - ✔✔results from managers' authority to punish their subordinates.
effective: likely to get immediate results. limitations: damages team members motivation
and self-direction over time.
✔✔Theory X and Theory Y - ✔✔A motivation theory that suggests that management
attitudes toward workers fall into two opposing categories based on management
assumptions about worker capabilities and values.
✔✔Theory X - ✔✔Motivation is irrelevant. Assumes that workers are basically lazy,
error-prone, and extrinsically motivated by money and, thus, should be directed from
above. Theory X leaders micromanage and coerce team members because they
believe people do not like work and must be strictly controlled and forced to work.
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Coaching leader - ✔✔leader develops team members skills, believes that success
comes from aligning org goals with employees personal and professional goals.
effective when leaders are highly skilled in strategic management, communication, and
motivate and they can manage their time to include coaching as a primary activity.
Team members must also be receptive to coaching. ineffective when employees resist
changing their performance.
✔✔Blake-Mouton Theory - ✔✔Highest to lowest (R to L, Top to Bottom):
1: Team Leader
2. Country Club
3. Middle of the Road
4. Authoritarian
5. Improverished Leader
✔✔Team Leader (Blake Mouton Theory) - ✔✔High task, high relationship. Lead by
positive examples, foster a team environment, and encourage individual and team
development.
✔✔middle of the road managers - ✔✔midpoint task and relationship. get the work done,
but not considered leaders.
✔✔authoritarian managers - ✔✔high task, low relationship. expect people to do what
they are told without questions and tend not to foster collaboration.
✔✔impoverished managers - ✔✔low task, low relationship. "delegate and disappear".
detach themselves, often creating power struggles.
✔✔country club managers - ✔✔low task, high relationships. create secure environment
and trust individuals to accomplish goals. avoid punitive actions so not to jeopardize
relationships.
✔✔Situational Theories - ✔✔the effectiveness of a particular style of leader behavior
depends on the situation
✔✔Hershey and Blanchard's Situational Theory - ✔✔manager should consider an
employee's psychological and job maturity before deciding whether task performance or
maintenance behaviors are more important. Telling - when employee isnt motivated or
competent. selling - when competent but still needs focus or motivation. participating -
competent works can be including in problem solving and coached on higher skills.
delegating - very competent employees can benefit from higher levels of autonomy and
self-direction.
, ✔✔Fiedler's Contingency Theory - ✔✔leaders change the situation to make it more
"favorable," more likely to produce good outcomes. Situation favorableness occurs
when: relationships are strong, task structure and requirements are clear, leader can
exert necessary power to reach group goals.
✔✔Path-Goal Theory - ✔✔A theory that states that it is the leader's job to assist
followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to
ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or
organization. Directive - help the employee understand the task and its goal. Supportive
- Try to fulfill employee's relationship needs. Achievement - motivate by setting
challenging goals. Participative - provide more control over work and leverage group
expertise through participative decision making.
✔✔legitimate power - ✔✔Created formally - through title and position in hierarchy.
Effective: can save time in decision making and focus team on org's goals. limits:
insufficient if leader is not competent and effective.
✔✔reward power - ✔✔power that comes from the ability to provide rewards or favors.
effective: can appeal to teams individual motivators. Limits: only useful when leader has
access to and can give meaningful rewards.
✔✔expert power - ✔✔power that is based on the special knowledge, skills, and
expertise that a leader possesses. effective: improve teams efforts by offering advice,
guidance. Can win respect for the team. limits: can create dependency and weaken
teams initiative or discourage their own contributions.
✔✔referent power - ✔✔power that comes from the force of a leaders personality -
subordinates' and coworkers' respect, admiration, and loyalty. effective: appeals to
social needs of individuals and desire for affiliation. Will weaken if leader is not
competent, effective, fair.
✔✔coercive power - ✔✔results from managers' authority to punish their subordinates.
effective: likely to get immediate results. limitations: damages team members motivation
and self-direction over time.
✔✔Theory X and Theory Y - ✔✔A motivation theory that suggests that management
attitudes toward workers fall into two opposing categories based on management
assumptions about worker capabilities and values.
✔✔Theory X - ✔✔Motivation is irrelevant. Assumes that workers are basically lazy,
error-prone, and extrinsically motivated by money and, thus, should be directed from
above. Theory X leaders micromanage and coerce team members because they
believe people do not like work and must be strictly controlled and forced to work.
