Deck 6: Performance Management and Appraisal

Question 1

Which of the following is behavior-based information?

A) Improved quality
B) Effective communication
C) Timeliness of response
D) Cost reduction

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Employees working in isolation or possessing unique skills may be particularly suited to _____.

A) outsider rating
B) self-rating
C) peer rating
D) multisource rating

Answer 2

B

Question 3

_____ recognizes that for many jobs, employee performance is multidimensional and crosses departmental, organizational, and even national boundaries.

A) Outsider rating
B) Self-rating
C) Peer rating
D) 360-degree rating

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is true of performance appraisal?

A) Performance management is a part of performance appraisal.
B) Performance appraisal is the process of determining how well employees do their jobs relative to a standard and communicating that information to them.
C) Performance appraisal is the same as performance management.
D) Performance appraisal refers to the entire series of activities designed to ensure that the organization gets the performance it needs from its employees.

Question 5

Which of the following is true of organizations that practice a performance-driven approach?

A) Employee rewards vary significantly from person to person and are not based on individual performance.
B) Performance appraisal activities are seen as being primarily a "bureaucratic exercise."
C) Employee rewards vary little from person to person and are not based on individual performance.
D) Performance evaluations link results to employee compensation and development.

Question 6

Which of the following is true of performance standards?

A) Only numerical performance standards can be established.
B) Performance standards should be established while the work is being performed.
C) Only nonnumerical performance standards can be established.
D) Performance standards should be established before the work is performed.

Question 7

Which of the following belongs to the descriptive category in graphic rating scales?

A) Decision making
B) Employee development
C) Quantity of work
D) Communication effectiveness

Question 8

_____ is especially useful when supervisors do not have the opportunity to observe each employee's performance but other work group members do.

A) Outsider rating
B) Self-rating
C) Peer rating
D) Employees rating managers

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true of organizations that practice the entitlement approach?

A) Employee rewards vary little from person to person and are based on individual performance differences.
B) Employee rewards vary significantly from person to person and are not much based on individual performance differences.
C) Employee rewards vary little from person to person and are not much based on individual performance differences.
D) Employee rewards vary significantly from person to person and are based on individual performance differences.

Question 10

Which of the following is typically a responsibility of managers in performance appraisals?

A) Reviewing completed appraisals for consistency
B) Tracking timely receipt of appraisals
C) Identifying development areas
D) Designing and maintaining appraisal systems

Question 11

A panel of division managers evaluating a supervisor's potential for advancement in an organization is an example of _____.

A) outsider rating
B) self-rating
C) peer rating
D) multisource rating

Question 12

Which of the following is true of the administrative and developmental roles of performance appraisals?

A) The rater plays the role of a judge in an administrative role and plays the role of a coach in a developmental role.
B) The rater plays the role of a coach in an administrative role and plays the role of a judge in a developmental role.
C) The rater plays the role of a coach in both the administrative role and the developmental role of performance appraisals.
D) The rater plays the role of a judge in both the administrative role and the developmental role of performance appraisals.

Question 13

Which of the following belongs to the behavioral dimensions in graphic rating scales?

A) Attendance
B) Dependability
C) Quantity of work
D) Communication effectiveness

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of results-based information?

A) Teamwork
B) Initiative
C) Customer satisfaction
D) Sales volume

Question 15

Which of the following is trait-based information?

A) Verbal persuasion
B) Dispositions
C) Units produced
D) Customer satisfaction

Question 16

_____ can help make a manager more responsive toward employees.

A) Rating of supervisors by subordinates
B) Self-rating
C) Peer rating
D) Rating of subordinates by supervisors

Question 17

_____ is the most widely used means of rating employees.

A) Outsider rating of employees
B) Self-rating
C) Peer rating
D) Supervisory rating of subordinates

Question 18

The _____ allows the rater to mark an employee's performance on a continuum indicating low to high levels of a particular characteristic.

A) graphic rating scale
B) category scaling method
C) comparative method
D) narrative method

Question 19

The simplest methods for appraising performance are _____, which require a manager to mark an employee's level of performance on a specific form divided into categories of performance.

A) graphic rating scales
B) category scaling methods
C) comparative methods
D) narrative methods

Question 20

_____ is a series of activities designed to ensure that the organization gets the performance it needs from its employees.

A) Performance management
B) Performance appraisal
C) Performance planning
D) Performance improvement

Question 21

Josh, an HR manager at RoxCom LLC, is responsible for implementing a guided self-appraisal system using management by objectives in his organization. He has reviewed the job description and the key activities that constitute the employee's job. Which of the following is typically the next step for Josh?

A) Continuing performance discussions
B) Development of performance standards
C) Setting of objectives
D) Implementation of the standards

Question 22

The _____ method requires a manager to write a short write-up describing each employee's performance during the rating period.

A) forced distribution
B) ranking
C) essay
D) critical incident

Question 23

_____ is a technique for distributing ratings that are generated with any of the other appraisal methods and comparing the ratings of people in a work group.

A) Behavioral rating scales
B) Forced distribution
C) Essay method
D) Critical incident

Question 24

_____ require that managers directly evaluate the performance levels of their employees against one another, and these evaluations can provide useful information for performance management.

A) Graphic rating scales
B) Category scaling methods
C) Comparative methods
D) Narrative methods

Question 25

Which of the following is a comparative method of performance appraisals?

A) Behavioral rating scales
B) Critical incident
C) Essay
D) Forced distribution

Question 26

Which of the following is a narrative method of performance appraisals?

A) Behavioral rating scales
B) Critical incident
C) Ranking
D) Forced distribution

Question 27

If employers do not require a(n) _____, performance appraisal ratings often do not match the normal distribution of a bell-shaped curve.

A) ranking method
B) critical incident
C) forced distribution
D) essay method

Question 28

The _____ occurs when a rater gives greater weight to information received first when appraising an individual's performance.

A) leniency error
B) recency effect
C) primacy effect
D) central tendency error

Question 29

The _____ occurs when a rater gives greater weight to the latest events when appraising an individual's performance.

A) leniency error
B) recency effect
C) primacy effect
D) central tendency error

Question 30

The use of _____ can cause rater error because the form might not accurately reflect the relative importance of certain job characteristics, and some factors might need to be added to the ratings for one employee, while others might need to be dropped.

A) graphic rating scales
B) category scaling methods
C) comparative methods
D) narrative methods

Question 31

Which of the following is typically the last stage in implementing a guided self-appraisal system using MBO?

A) Continuing performance discussions
B) Development of performance standards
C) Setting of objectives
D) Job review and agreement

Question 32

The _____ method lists the individuals being rated from highest to lowest based on their performance levels and relative contributions.

A) ranking
B) critical incident
C) essay
D) forced distribution

Question 33

Which of the following is typically the first stage in implementing a guided self-appraisal system using MBO?

A) Continuing performance discussions
B) Development of performance standards
C) Setting of objectives
D) Job review and agreement

Question 34

Luke, an HR manager at Rexi LLC, is responsible for implementing a guided self-appraisal system using management by objectives in his organization. He has established objectives that are realistically attainable. Which of the following is typically the next step for Luke?

A) Continuing performance discussions
B) Development of performance standards
C) Determining a satisfactory level of performance
D) Job review and agreement

Question 35

The _____ occurs when a manager uses only the lower part of the scale to rate employees.

A) leniency error
B) recency effect
C) primacy effect
D) strictness error

Question 36

The _____ occurs when ratings of all employees fall at the high end of the scale.

A) leniency error
B) recency effect
C) primacy effect
D) central tendency error

Question 37

In the _____ method, the manager keeps a written record of both highly favorable and unfavorable actions performed by an employee during the entire rating period.

A) forced distribution
B) ranking
C) essay
D) critical incident

Question 38

Zara, an HR manager at Fluxin LLC, is responsible for implementing a guided self-appraisal system using management by objectives in her organization. She has developed specific standards for performance. Which of the following is typically the next step for Zara?

A) Continuing performance discussions
B) Implementation of the performance standards
C) Setting of objectives
D) Job review and agreement

Question 39

The _____ occurs when a rater scores an employee high on all job criteria because of performance in one area.

A) halo effect
B) horns effect
C) contrast error
D) similar-to-me error

Question 40

The _____ occurs when a rater gives all employees an average rating.

A) leniency error
B) recency effect
C) primacy effect
D) central tendency error

Question 41

The _____ is the tendency to rate people relative to one another rather than against performance standards.

A) halo effect
B) horns effect
C) contrast error
D) similar-to-me error

Question 42

Performance appraisal is the entire series of activities designed to ensure that the organization gets the performance it needs from its employees.

Question 43

The number of cars sold by a car salesman is classified as a subjective measure of performance.

Question 44

Which of the following is true of appraisal interviews?

A) Managers must communicate both praise and constructive criticism.
B) Managers must communicate only praise and not constructive criticism.
C) Managers must communicate only constructive criticism and not praise.
D) Managers must not communicate praise or constructive criticism.

Question 45

One concern of multisource rating is that those peers who rate poor-performing coworkers tend to inflate the ratings so that the peers themselves can get higher overall evaluation results in return.

Question 46

An informal appraisal is used when a system is in place to report managerial impressions and observations on employee performance and feature a regular time interval.

Question 47

Both numerical and nonnumerical performance standards can be established.

Question 48

The developmental function of performance appraisals can identify areas in which the employee might wish to grow.

Question 49

The major purpose of 360-degree feedback is to increase uniformity by soliciting like-minded views.

Question 50

Companies must only use multisource feedback primarily as an administrative tool.

Question 51

The _____ occurs when a low rating on one characteristic leads to an overall low rating.

A) halo effect
B) horns effect
C) contrast error
D) similar-to-me error

Question 52

The administrative role of performance appraisals often creates stress for managers doing the appraisals and the employees being evaluated because the rater is placed in the role of judge.

Question 53

In the performance-driven organizational culture, employee rewards vary little from person to person and are not much based on individual performance differences.

Question 54

Menu up-selling by a waitperson is classified as behavior-based information.

Question 55

The performance management process starts by identifying the strategic goals an organization needs to accomplish to remain competitive and profitable.

Question 56

Peer and team ratings are especially useful only when supervisors have the opportunity to observe each employee's performance.

Question 57

The entitlement approach of organizational culture links performance evaluations to employee compensation and development.

Question 58

A disadvantage of the outsider rating approach is that outsiders may not know the important demands within the work group or organization.

Question 59

Employee attitude is classified as trait-based information.

Question 60

If the rater has seen only a small specimen of the person's work, an appraisal may be subject to _____.

A) halo effect
B) horns effect
C) contrast error
D) sampling error

Question 61

What is multisource rating?

Question 62

Describe the entitlement approach and the performance-driven approach.

Question 63

Discuss supervisory rating of subordinates.

Question 64

A major concern for managers in performance management is how to emphasize the positive aspects of the employee's performance while still discussing ways to make needed improvements.

Question 65

The leniency error occurs when ratings of all employees fall at the high end of the scale.

Question 66

The halo effect is the tendency to rate people relative to one another rather than against performance standards.

Question 67

What are the common employee performance measures?

Question 68

Development of performance standards is typically the first stage of management by objectives.

Question 69

Discuss the administrative and developmental uses of performance appraisals.

Question 70

With the ranking method, the ratings of employees' performance are distributed along a bell-shaped curve.

Question 71

The contrast error occurs when a rater scores an employee high on all job criteria because of performance in one area.

Question 72

Describe the features required in an effective performance management system.

Question 73

In the critical incident method, the manager keeps a written record of both highly favorable and unfavorable actions performed by an employee during the entire rating period.

Question 74

Define performance management. What should a performance management system do?

Question 75

The recency effect occurs when a rater gives greater weight to information received first when appraising an individual's performance.

Question 76

Define behaviorally anchored rating scales.

Question 77

Define performance standards.

Question 78

The forced distribution method lists the individuals being rated from highest to lowest based on their performance levels and relative contributions.

Question 79

When creating a BARS system, identifying important job dimensions, which are the most important performance factors in a job description, is done first.

Question 80

The category scaling method allows the rater to mark an employee's performance on a continuum indicating low to high levels of a particular characteristic.