Deck 8: Performance Management and Appraisal

Question 1

What have unions traditionally stressed as the basis for promotions and pay increases?

A) productivity
B) performance
C) teamwork
D) seniority

Answer 1

D
Explanation: D) The labor union is another external factor that might affect a firm's appraisal process. Unions have traditionally stressed seniority as the basis for promotions and pay increases.

Question 2

What is the final step in the appraisal process?

A) reviewing the appraisal with the employee
B) examining the work performance of the employee
C) appraising the work performance of the employee
D) communicating performance criteria to the employee

Answer 2

A
Explanation: A) The starting point for the PA process is identifying specific performance goals. Then the manager communicates performance criteria to the employee before examining and appraising job performance. At the end of the appraisal period, the appraiser and the employee together review work performance and evaluate it against established performance standards.

Question 3

Sam is employed as an account associate at a publishing firm. Which of the following would most likely help Sam with career planning and development?

A) applicant tracking systems
B) compensation programs
C) performance appraisals
D) work sample tests

Answer 3

C
Explanation: C) Performance appraisal data is essential in assessing an employee's strengths and weaknesses and in determining the person's potential. Managers may use such information to counsel subordinates and assist them in developing and implementing their career plans.

Question 4

Which of the following is LEAST likely to improve employee engagement?

A) treating workers with trust and respect
B) encouraging workers to be innovative
C) identifying workers for job enlargement
D) assigning workers to jobs that utilize their skills

Question 5

Performance appraisals are used for all of the following purposes EXCEPT ________.

A) identifying training needs
B) defending personnel decisions
C) implementing selection tests
D) providing employee feedback

Question 6

Which term refers to a goal-oriented process directed toward ensuring that organizational processes are in place to maximize productivity of employees, teams, and the organization?

A) performance appraisal
B) strategic HR planning
C) performance management
D) development analysis

Question 7

What is the most common cause for the failure of performance appraisal systems?

A) unclear goals and expectations
B) irrelevant development plans
C) time consuming for managers
D) high implementation costs

Question 8

With performance management, a close relationship exists between performance and ________.

A) finances
B) competition
C) HR selection
D) incentive goals

Question 9

Which term refers to the level of commitment that workers make to an employer?

A) organizational fit
B) job recognition
C) employee engagement
D) employee sensitivity

Question 10

Which external factor would most likely be opposed to performance appraisal systems?

A) state and federal governments
B) professional organizations
C) trade associations
D) labor unions

Question 11

Which of the following is a common appraisal criteria?

A) traits
B) behaviors
C) competencies
D) all of the above

Question 12

In which case did the federal district court judge state, "There is sufficient circumstantial evidence to indicate that age bias and age based policies appear throughout the performance rating process to the detriment of the protected age group"?

A) Massachusetts v Hunt
B) Leonel v American Airlines
C) Mistretta v Sandia Corporation
D) Griggs v Duke Power Company

Question 13

Employee engagement is an important issue for HR because it ________.

A) alters perceptions
B) increases selection ratios
C) slows the recruiting process
D) affects organizational performance

Question 14

Which Supreme Court case supported validation requirements for performance appraisals?

A) Massachusetts v Hunt
B) Albemarle Paper v Moody
C) California Regents v Bakke
D) Griggs v Duke Power Company

Question 15

A formal system of review and evaluation of an individual or team task performance is referred to as ________.

A) performance appraisal
B) strategic planning
C) performance management
D) succession planning

Question 16

What is the first step of the performance appraisal process?

A) establishing employee job expectations
B) identifying specific performance goals
C) conducting a thorough job analysis
D) evaluating work performance

Question 17

With performance management, the effort of every worker should be directed toward ________.

A) improving compensation awareness
B) analyzing corporate understanding
C) enhancing overall organizational fit
D) achieving strategic goals

Question 18

How are performance appraisals used for recruitment and selection?

A) developing a promotional strategy
B) predicting applicant job performance
C) initiating applicant salary negotiations
D) determining training and development needs

Question 19

Which of the following outcomes makes the strongest case for maintaining a traditional performance appraisal system?

A) engaging employees
B) empowering employees
C) documenting poor performance
D) promoting teamwork

Question 20

Which of the following is a problem associated with performance appraisals?

A) Technical skills are not sufficiently assessed.
B) Performance does not indicate training needs.
C) Line managers are unfamiliar with subordinates.
D) Past performance does not necessarily indicate future potential.

Question 21

What appraisal method appeals to managers who want employees to participate in their own evaluation and development?

A) superior
B) peer appraisal
C) subordinate
D) self-appraisal

Question 22

Competencies chosen for performance appraisal purposes should be closely related to ________.

A) job success
B) job seniority
C) pay grade
D) skill level

Question 23

All of the following are reasons that immediate supervisors conduct most performance appraisals EXCEPT that supervisors ________.

A) regularly observe their employees' job performance
B) coordinate employees' flexible spending benefits
C) manage all aspects of work within a particular unit
D) need subordinates who are appropriately trained

Question 24

What is essential when subordinates are given the opportunity to evaluate their supervisor?

A) training subordinates how to evaluate performance
B) teaching evaluators how to measure performance
C) guaranteeing anonymity of the evaluators
D) benchmarking all evaluations

Question 25

Gina and her team members at Marshall Marketing recently received their annual performance appraisals. Each team member was evaluated for developing others, cooperation, and customer service orientation. Which of the following best describes these criteria?

A) traits
B) behaviors
C) goal achievement
D) improvement potential

Question 26

Which of the following has traditionally been responsible for evaluating employee performance?

A) team members
B) subordinates
C) immediate supervisors
D) top corporate customers

Question 27

Which of the following is the most likely problem of supervisors evaluating subordinates?

A) focusing too much on a single performance standard
B) coordinating employee training needs and programs
C) being responsible for only one department within the firm
D) lacking opportunities to observe the employee's job performance

Question 28

A&B Enterprises may add customer appraisals as a component of employee performance appraisals. All of the following are most likely reasons for A&B to use customer appraisals EXCEPT ________.

A) fostering change
B) holding employees accountable
C) evaluating development programs
D) demonstrating customer commitment

Question 29

Appearance and cognitive aptitude are examples of which appraisal criteria?

A) goal achievement
B) competencies
C) behaviors
D) traits

Question 30

Monica, a sales consultant, will receive a performance appraisal soon. Monica's supervisor will be assessing Monica's ability to deliver products to clients according to schedule and her ability to meet customer quality requirements. Which performance standard is most likely important to Monica's employer?

A) improvement potential
B) strategic contribution
C) goal achievement
D) employee traits

Question 31

Adam, an IT specialist, is more technically knowledgeable than his boss. What would be the most appropriate way to overcome this disadvantage for Adam's performance appraisal?

A) obtaining performance input from Adam's customers
B) providing Adam's supervisor with additional training
C) allowing Adam to assess the supervisor's performance
D) integrating appraisal criteria suggested by Adam

Question 32

Managing employee performance should be a ________ process if it is to be the most effective.

A) formal
B) continuous
C) structured
D) bi-annual

Question 33

What is the benefit of having subordinates evaluate supervisors?

A) increasing the opportunity to expand a department
B) decreasing the reliance on traditional performance appraisals
C) increasing a supervisor's awareness of the work group's needs
D) decreasing a supervisor's authority over subordinates in a work group

Question 34

When developing a performance appraisal system for telecommuters, managers should do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) make sure that telecommuters are not treated differently from office-based workers
B) apply objective measures common to all employees when evaluating telecommuters
C) create different performance standards for common job duties performed by office-based workers and telecommuters
D) create a well-defined understanding of job roles and performance measures

Question 35

As a manager, which of the following traits would be LEAST appropriate to consider when conducting a subordinate's performance appraisal?

A) public acceptance
B) adaptability
C) judgment
D) attitude

Question 36

Which case ruled that general characteristics such as leadership, appearance, and personal conduct are subjective and may be unrelated to job performance?

A) Campbell v Miller Construction
B) Smith v Ardron Construction
C) Anderson v West Coast Energy
D) Wade v Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service

Question 37

What performance criteria include a broad range of knowledge, skills, traits, and behaviors that are needed to perform a job successfully?

A) credibilities
B) competencies
C) accomplishments
D) future possibilities

Question 38

If a firm wants to emphasize the future, including the behaviors and outcomes needed to develop the employee, and, in the process, achieve the firm's goals, what performance criteria should be used?

A) improvement potential
B) competencies
C) goal achievement
D) traits

Question 39

Which of the following is primarily responsible for coordinating the design and implementation of performance appraisal programs?

A) high-level executives
B) shared service center managers
C) labor union representatives
D) human resource departments

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT an advantage associated with using team members to appraise performance?

A) Team members are familiar with each other's performance.
B) Team members are receptive to criticism from co-workers.
C) Peer review relies on more than one opinion.
D) Peer pressure motivates members of a team.

Question 41

Dixon Manufacturing is a large firm that produces automotive parts for sports cars. Employees at Dixon receive annual performance appraisals from their supervisors. However, top executives at Dixon have decided that performance appraisals should be conducted more frequently and that a new method of appraisal should be implemented. Which of the following, if True, best supports the argument that the ranking method is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Dixon to use?

A) Employees at Dixon are provided training opportunities based on performance appraisal results.
B) Dixon executives want the firm to become a high performing work system within five years.
C) Dixon will be reducing its workforce and eliminating the lowest performing employees.
D) Supervisors at Dixon work with HR to hire, fire, and train all employees.

Question 42

Dixon Manufacturing is a large firm that produces automotive parts for sports cars. Employees at Dixon receive annual performance appraisals from their supervisors. However, top executives at Dixon have decided that performance appraisals should be conducted more frequently and that a new method of appraisal should be implemented. Which of the following, if True, best supports the argument that the 360-degree feedback evaluation method is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Dixon to use?

A) Numerous Dixon employees have complained that the current appraisal method is biased and have threatened to sue the firm.
B) Executives at Dixon want a performance appraisal method that focuses on an employee's potential for success at the firm.
C) Employees at Dixon participated in developing their own performance standards when they were first hired by the firm.
D) Due to the firm's large staff, executives want an appraisal method that is both quick and cost effective.

Question 43

Departmental managers at Global Industries are required to maintain written records of highly favorable and unfavorable employee actions. Which performance appraisal method is most likely used by Global Industries?

A) ranking
B) rating scales
C) critical incidents
D) paired comparison

Question 44

Dixon Manufacturing is a large firm that produces automotive parts for sports cars. Employees at Dixon receive annual performance appraisals from their supervisors. However, top executives at Dixon have decided that performance appraisals should be conducted more frequently and that a new method of appraisal should be implemented. Which of the following, if True, best supports the argument that the BARS method is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Dixon to use?

A) Dixon recently invested in an applicant tracking system to help HR manage recruiting and selection tasks.
B) Dixon supervisors want to provide subordinates with upward feedback to illustrate employee ratings.
C) Dixon has provided HR with a small budget for implementing a new performance appraisal system.
D) Dixon supervisors want specific examples of good and poor behavior in order to facilitate rating discussions.

Question 45

A popular appraisal method that involves input from multiple levels within the firm and external sources is best known as ________.

A) 360-degree feedback evaluation
B) rating scale
C) critical incident
D) paired comparison

Question 46

For Raj's annual performance appraisal, he will be evaluated by his supervisor according to defined factors such as "meets expectations," "outstanding," and "needs improvement." Which performance appraisal method is most likely used by Raj's employer?

A) essay
B) rating scales
C) 360-degree
D) critical incident

Question 47

Which appraisal method is most likely to cover the entire evaluation period and not focus on the last few weeks or months?

A) essay
B) rating scale
C) critical incident
D) paired comparison

Question 48

When Erin, a manager, provides performance appraisals to her subordinates, she writes a brief narrative describing each employee's performance. Which type of appraisal method is Erin most likely using?

A) work standards method
B) essay method
C) BARS method
D) ranking method

Question 49

What is the biggest risk associated with the 360-degree feedback evaluation method?

A) poor individual development
B) minimal effectiveness
C) questionable legality
D) lack of confidentiality

Question 50

In which performance appraisal method is the performance of each employee compared with every other employee in the group?

A) essay
B) rating scales
C) paired comparison
D) weighted checklists

Question 51

Paired comparison is a performance appraisal method that typically uses ________.

A) one criterion
B) critical incidents
C) job analysis factors
D) aspects such as attitude and appearance

Question 52

Dixon Manufacturing is a large firm that produces automotive parts for sports cars. Employees at Dixon receive annual performance appraisals from their supervisors. However, top executives at Dixon have decided that performance appraisals should be conducted more frequently and that a new method of appraisal should be implemented. Which of the following, if True, best supports the argument that the forced distribution method is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Dixon to use?

A) Organizational fit is a problem among newly hired Dixon employees.
B) Many managers at Dixon are hesitant to fire poor performing employees.
C) Dixon organizes most departments into project-based teams of employees.
D) Multiple appraisals are needed at Dixon to minimize employee discrimination.

Question 53

When it is time for Margaret to provide performance appraisals, she organizes her subordinates in a list from best employee to worst employee. Which method does Margaret most likely use?

A) critical incident
B) 360-degree
C) ranking
D) work standards

Question 54

A worker in which of the following jobs would most likely be evaluated with the work standards performance appraisal method?

A) sales assistant
B) assembly line worker
C) mechanical engineer
D) personal finance specialist

Question 55

The ________ of appraisal requires managers to keep written records of highly favorable and unfavorable work actions.

A) rating scales method
B) work standards method
C) forced distribution method
D) critical incident method

Question 56

The ________ of appraisal compares each employee's performance to a predetermined standard or expected level of output.

A) critical incident method
B) work standards method
C) forced distribution method
D) behaviorally anchored rating scale method

Question 57

What is the primary advantage of using the work standards method?

A) anonymity
B) objectivity
C) flexibility
D) acceptability

Question 58

Marco, who works on an assembly line at GM, received his annual performance appraisal, which compared his job performance to an expected level of output. Which method is most likely used by GM?

A) BARS
B) ranking
C) critical incident
D) work standards

Question 59

Kyra works as a marketing assistant and will be receiving a performance appraisal soon. Kyra will receive ratings from her supervisors, team members, subordinates, and customers. Kyra will also be asked to review her own performance. Which performance appraisal method is most likely used at Kyra's firm?

A) rating scales method
B) work standards method
C) critical incident method
D) 360-degree feedback evaluation method

Question 60

What are the two most common factor categories used in the rating scales method?

A) job-related and personal characteristics
B) training and development opportunities
C) work output and managerial qualities
D) interpersonal and flexibility skills

Question 61

When a manager generalizes one positive performance feature or incident to all aspects of employee performance, the manager is most likely guilty of ________.

A) leniency
B) central tendency error
C) halo error
D) recent behavior bias

Question 62

Which performance appraisal system is known as the rank-and-yank system?

A) forced distribution
B) rating scales
C) forced choice
D) BARS

Question 63

Which performance appraisal method is most frequently criticized?

A) rating scales
B) results-based
C) 360-feedback
D) BARS

Question 64

Which performance appraisal system is closely related to the management by objectives (MBO) system?

A) forced distribution
B) rating scales
C) results-based
D) BARS

Question 65

Ellen and her manager jointly agree on goals for Ellen's next appraisal period. Which performance appraisal method is most likely used by Ellen's employer?

A) result-based system
B) critical incidents
C) work standards
D) BARS

Question 66

Which performance appraisal is highly defensible in court because it is based on actual observable job behaviors?

A) forced distribution
B) rating scales
C) forced choice
D) BARS

Question 67

The production supervisor at Elmwood Foods is known for being unduly critical of his subordinates' work performance. Which of the following best describes this problem?

A) central tendency
B) stereotyping
C) halo error
D) strictness

Question 68

At Wilson Manufacturing, evaluators are required to justify in writing extremely high or extremely low performance ratings that are given to employees. Which of the following is the most likely outcome of this requirement?

A) leniency
B) central tendency error
C) halo error
D) recent behavior bias

Question 69

Which two methods are combined in the BARS method?

A) essay and forced distribution
B) critical incident and rating scales
C) work standards and critical incident
D) forced distribution and 360-feedback

Question 70

When employees are incorrectly rated near the middle of the scale, this error is referred to as ________.

A) leniency
B) central tendency error
C) halo error
D) recent behavior bias

Question 71

The marketing manager at P&M Consulting is known for giving subordinates undeserved high ratings. Which of the following best describes this problem?

A) leniency
B) central tendency error
C) halo error
D) recent behavior bias

Question 72

Managers at A-1 Enterprises use the rating scales method to evaluate employee performance. Ratings are based on factors such as attitude, loyalty, and personality. What is the most likely problem with this type of performance appraisal system?

A) leniency
B) lack of objectivity
C) strictness
D) central tendency

Question 73

What performance appraisal problem occurs when supervisors allow individual differences such as gender, race, or age to affect the ratings they give?

A) central tendency error
B) halo error
C) recent behavior bias
D) personal bias

Question 74

What performance appraisal system has been described as fostering cutthroat competition, paranoia, and general ill will among employees?

A) 360-feedback
B) rating scales
C) forced distribution
D) BARS

Question 75

A primary deficiency of BARS is that the behaviors used are based on ________.

A) short-term results
B) co-worker opinions
C) personality traits
D) employee activities

Question 76

In which performance appraisal method are individuals assigned to a limited number of categories similar to a normal frequency distribution?

A) essay
B) rating scales
C) weighted checklist
D) forced distribution

Question 77

How many levels are typical of most forced distribution systems?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5

Question 78

The purpose of the ________ of performance appraisal is to keep managers from being excessively lenient and having a disproportionate number of employees in the superior category.

A) BARS method
B) rating scale method
C) results-based method
D) forced distribution method

Question 79

How can employers avoid recent behavior bias?

A) generalizing positive performance qualities
B) linking employee behaviors with promotions and salary
C) maintaining performance records throughout the appraisal period
D) working with employees to develop achievable performance goals

Question 80

In which performance appraisal method, are various performance levels shown along a scale with each described in terms of an employee's specific job behavior?

A) forced distribution
B) rating scales
C) forced choice
D) BARS