Deck 9: Performance Management and Appraisal

Question 1

Which criticism of performance appraisal is LEAST likely to be given by employees?

A)Performance appraisal does not improve employee performance.
B)Performance appraisal is of little use in identifying the worst performers.
C)Performance appraisal, with its focus on the individual, is inconsistent with an emphasis on teamwork.
D)Performance appraisal tends to be subjective.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following best describes performance measures that leave out some important job duties?

A)contaminated
B)unnecessary
C)deficient
D)subjective

Answer 2

C

Question 3

At Evergreen Cosmetics, the top executive team's compensation is based on the profitability of the firm. Which of the following does this practice show?

A)a disconnect between the compensation of executives and regular employees
B)a lack of ambition on the part of the executive team
C)executive commitment to performance management
D)the pervasiveness of an entitlement culture

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Clint, the owner of a moving company, has developed a performance appraisal system for his customer representatives and truck drivers. He evaluates each of these employees on his/her attitudes toward the company and customers, initiative in developing new business, and creativity in solving problems. On which type of information is Clint basing his performance appraisal system?

A)results
B)trait
C)productivity
D)behaviour

Question 5

Performance management links organizational strategies to which of the following organizational aspects?

A)goal setting
B)culture
C)results
D)rewards

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the ultimate organizational results of a performance management system?

A)the degree of employee satisfaction
B)the meeting of organizational goals.
C)the level of coordination between performance and pay
D)the level of employee performance

Question 7

Several computer programmers have the technical expertise to do their jobs and work hard, but are using outdated software programs. In this case, which of the following factors in individual performance are reduced?

A)support
B)effort
C)motivation
D)ability

Question 8

Which of the following is the focus of results-based information when it is used for evaluating performance?

A)employee accomplishments
B)specific behaviours that lead to job success
C)character traits that generate job success
D)departmental effectiveness

Question 9

Employee performance can be identified, measured, communicated, developed, and rewarded through one system. Which of the following terms is most associated with these processes?

A)performance management
B)process improvement
C)functional analysis
D)performance appraisal

Question 10

At Safe and Green Ltd. there is little variation in pay among employees within the existing job categories. Raises are essentially the same for average and excellent performers. Although performance appraisals are performed regularly, everyone views the process as paper shuffling. Which of the following is the basis of Safe and Green Ltd.'s culture?

A)performance
B)entitlement
C)bureaucracy
D)benevolence

Question 11

Which of the following presents an accurate statement about performance management?

A)Performance management systems may be unsuitable for use in some cultures.
B)Every culture includes some type of formal performance feedback for employees.
C)A well-designed performance management system will work in any cultural setting.
D)North American-style performance management systems are becoming more widely used overseas because of their effectiveness in increasing employee performance.

Question 12

Which of the following terms refers to the elements that define what the organization pays an employee to do?

A)job criteria
B)job qualifications
C)performance measures
D)expected performance levels

Question 13

Counting the number of invoices that a clerk processes each day would be an example of one type of performance measure. Which descriptor best applies?

A)objective
B)quality
C)subjective
D)behaviour-based

Question 14

At a large catalogue-based retail company, supervisors randomly listen in on calls handled by customer representatives. Their purpose is to ensure that customers are greeted politely, orders are taken accurately, order details are repeated to the customers, and customers are thanked for their orders. On which basis are they gathering performance information?

A)results
B)behaviour
C)productivity
D)trait

Question 15

In which of the following situations does a results-based approach work well for jobs?

A)where performance criteria are subjective
B)where measurement is easy and obvious
C)where performance criteria are multidimensional
D)where teamwork is emphasized

Question 16

The performance committee of Physical Therapy Associates has identified four grounds on which to measure the performance of physical therapists: (1) the progress of the patient according to medical guidelines, (2) patient satisfaction, (3) meeting of treatment deadlines, and (4) therapist presence at work. Which of the following has the committee established?

A)job criteria
B)differentiating criteria
C)essential elements
D)performance elements

Question 17

Which of the following types of information identifies subjective employee characteristics, such as initiative and creativity?

A)results-based
B)trait-based
C)behaviour-based
D)personality-factor

Question 18

One performance criterion for an employee who telecommutes is "relationship with co-workers." Which of the following characterizes the kind of performance measure that will result from this criterion?

A)objective
B)deficient
C)subjective
D)contaminated

Question 19

Behaviour-based information is used in evaluating job performance. Which of the following statements provides an accurate assessment of its use?

A)It is the easiest to develop.
B)It clearly specifies the behaviours management wants to see.
C)It looks at the outcomes the employee has achieved.
D)Its aim is to identify the one behaviour that will lead to job success.

Question 20

Courts have held that one kind of information is too vague to use when making performance-based HR decisions. Which of the following are they referring to?

A)behaviour-based
B)productivity-based
C)trait-based
D)results-based

Question 21

Which of the following statements best conveys how teams can contribute to the appraisal process?

A)Teams can provide useful developmental feedback to members.
B)Teams can provide helpful input in downsizing situations.
C)Teams are better able to allocate rewards based on merit than are supervisors.
D)Teams are usually trained to handle administrative appraisal.

Question 22

Lisa is a project manager for a large consulting firm. She supervises multiple project teams over a single year. Often, the teams work at distant locations, so Lisa rarely meets with every one on each project team. Nevertheless, Lisa's company requires her to conduct performance appraisals on each team member. Lisa is concerned that her performance appraisals will not hold up in court if one of her subordinates later sues for discrimination. Which of the following statements explains why Lisa is correct to be concerned?

A)This type of evaluation is evidence of disparate impact.
B)The manager has little personal knowledge of and contact with team members.
C)Individuals are being evaluated even though they work on teams.
D)Only one manager is involved in evaluating each employee.

Question 23

Which type of appraisal is conducted as part of the day-to-day working relationship between a manager and an employee?

A)systematic
B)one-on-one
C)informal
D)on-the-spot

Question 24

Which of the following criteria are NOT part of determining whether a performance appraisal is considered practical?

A)The appraisal system is time-efficient to develop.
B)The criterion measures are based on the job, and the results are compatible with the goals that the employees are to achieve.
C)An appraisal system and its outcome measures are accepted by everyone involved in the appraisal.
D)The criterion measures chosen are reliable and valid.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT part of the "SMART" approach to writing performance standards?

A)specific
B)meaningful
C)relevant
D)time-bound

Question 26

Which of the following outlines the primary purpose of developmental feedback?

A)to provide examples of acceptable and unacceptable performance
B)to change or to reinforce individual behaviour
C)to compare individuals with one another
D)to ensure that employees know the reasons for changes in their compensation

Question 27

Which of these statements best explains the need for job-related, non-discriminatory, and documented performance appraisals when organizations terminate or promote employees, or pay employees differently?

A)They provide developmental information to the employees.
B)They are a legal defence if employees sue over such decisions.
C)They are an important input to the strategic planning process.
D)They help explain the connection between merit and seniority.

Question 28

Which of the following does NOT refer to an aspect of performance appraisal that can survive a court challenge?

A)documented
B)job-related
C)numerical
D)non-discriminatory

Question 29

Performance appraisals have two general, but often conflicting uses. Which of the following are they?

A)salary administration and discipline
B)administrative and developmental
C)training and development
D)coaching and career planning

Question 30

Which of the following statements best explains why the timing of performance appraisals and pay discussions should be different?

A)Most supervisors are unaware of how much their employees are paid.
B)Each activity falls under a different HR manager and so needs a different time.
C)For maximum reinforcement value, the pay discussion should be conducted later.
D)Employees often focus more on the pay amount than on what aspects of performance they need to improve.

Question 31

Which of the following is an example of the administrative role of performance appraisal?

A)identifying employee weaknesses to determine coaching needs
B)identifying the organization's training needs
C)communicating feedback to the employee
D)measuring how well an employee has worked to determine pay

Question 32

Suppose that the organization uses performance-based compensation. Most employees, however, consider their pay raises inequitable. Which of the following statements presents the most likely cause?

A)The majority of employees are poor performers.
B)The work performed by the organization does not lend itself to objective performance appraisal.
C)The organization is performing poorly.
D)Some part of the appraisal process has failed.

Question 33

An organization wishes to lessen the conflict between the administrative and developmental roles of performance appraisal. Which of the following practices is recommended?

A)having the employee's manager deliver the administrative feedback, including pay information, and having HR staff address the developmental issues in a separate interview
B)separating the administrative feedback and the developmental feedback into two interviews several weeks apart
C)combining both types of feedback into the same appraisal interview, but dealing with pay issues first as that is the employee's primary concern
D)communicating all feedback to the employee in writing two weeks before the appraisal interview

Question 34

Which of the following affirms the idea that employees should receive pay raises because of their work accomplishments rather than for their seniority or as automatic increases?

A)wage and salary administration
B)performance-based compensation
C)performance management
D)the appraisal interview

Question 35

Which of the following best describes the manager's role in the developmental aspect of performance appraisal?

A)judge
B)sponsor
C)parent
D)coach

Question 36

In a typical division of appraisal responsibilities, which of these is an HR unit task?

A)providing regular informal appraisals
B)designing and maintaining the formal system
C)rating performance of employees
D)reviewing appraisals with employees

Question 37

Which of the following terms is most associated with defining a satisfactory level of carrying out work?

A)job criteria
B)essential elements
C)performance standards
D)job expectations

Question 38

Which of the following would be a developmental function of performance appraisal?

A)communicating performance expectations to the employee
B)permitting the employee to comment on the supervisor's performance
C)identifying areas in which the employee might wish to grow
D)linking performance appraisal with the possibility of termination

Question 39

Why is it important that employees have input on performance standards?

A)so managers can persuade employees that the standards are reasonable
B)to set standards that employees can reach to avoid bonuses being negatively affected
C)to ensure that the standards are free from deficiency or contamination
D)so both managers and employees understand what constitutes satisfactory performance

Question 40

In the appraisal process, which of these tasks are managers typically responsible for?

A)training the raters
B)reviewing appraisals with employees
C)designing the formal appraisal system
D)reviewing completed appraisals for consistency

Question 41

Lucy never gives her subordinates either a 7 (superior) or a 1 (unsatisfactory) when she completes the graphic rating scales during performance appraisal. As director of HR, you have caught this pattern in her ratings. Lucy explains, "A 7 would be perfection, and even I am not perfect, so none of my subordinates can be perfect. Moreover, a 1 is unsatisfactory, and I do not tolerate unsatisfactory work by my subordinates. They are either improving or gone." As the director of HR, which of the following should you do?

A)Explain to Lucy that the organizational level statistics will be skewed if she fails to use all rating scale levels.
B)Discipline Lucy because she has been improperly rating her subordinates.
C)Commend Lucy for her grasp of the nature of the graphic rating scale.
D)Design a training program for Lucy and all other supervisors on the accurate use of graphic rating scales.

Question 42

Team appraisals pose several difficulties. Which of the following is NOT a problem?

A)Team members may rate themselves highest.
B)Team members may see their teamwork suffer after the appraisals.
C)Team members may soften their appraisals to spare feelings.
D)Team members may use the appraisal as an excuse to attack other team members.

Question 43

In which of the following situations would peer ratings be most appropriate?

A)The members of the work group are drawn from a diverse population.
B)The supervisor lacks opportunity to observe each employee's performance, but other work group members do have opportunity.
C)The manager is too busy to meet with each subordinate for a formal appraisal interview.
D)A group of salespeople meets regularly as a committee to talk about strategies for improving customer relations.

Question 44

An artist has been a visiting instructor at a noted art academy for three years. The academy's process for moving a temporary/visiting instructor to regular faculty status is to have the artist's portfolio of work examined by a panel of noted artists who are independent of the academy. What is this process a version of?

A)team appraisal
B)field review
C)body-of-work appraisal
D)external audit

Question 45

The manager of HR feels employees need to think about their strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for improvement. Consequently, the HR manager is designing a program. Which of the following kinds is it?

A)facilitated appraisal
B)self-appraisal
C)team evaluation
D)introspective analysis

Question 46

Karl has the HR duties in a small commercial bakery of only 16 employees. Nine of these employees are bakery assistants with the same job duties. Karl has decided to make a list placing the best employee at the top and the worst employee at the bottom, with the other employees placed in between according to how they compare with the best and the worst employees. He is satisfied that this system will work for his small company. Which of the following is the type of system Karl is planning to use?

A)ranking
B)graphic rating scale
C)checklist
D)forced distribution

Question 47

Which of the following is characteristic of graphic rating scales?

A)Graphic rating scales are difficult to develop.
B)Descriptive words used may have different meanings to different raters.
C)Raters typically use the full range of the scale regardless of the number of scale points.
D)Raters can use these scales without training because they are self-explanatory.

Question 48

Multisource appraisal recognizes that the manager is no longer the sole source of performance appraisal information. Which of these terms is most associated with this kind of appraisal?

A)outside raters
B)peer evaluation
C)360-degree rating
D)team appraisal

Question 49

Which statement accurately characterizes informal appraisals?

A)Informal appraisals should be deferred when time is an issue.
B)Unscheduled informal appraisals would disrupt the day-to-day working relationship between a manager and an employee.
C)On-the-spot examinations of a piece of work are unacceptable due to privacy issues.
D)Frequent informal feedback to employees can prevent surprises later when the formal evaluation is communicated.

Question 50

At High Flyer Airlines, managers rate their subordinates on a continuum from 1 to 7. A score of 1 indicates unsatisfactory performance, and a score of 7 indicates superior performance. Which of the following is the performance appraisal method that High Flyer is using?

A)graphic rating scale
B)checklist
C)multisource appraisal
D)ranking system

Question 51

Employees may feel somewhat threatened by 360-degree feedback. They feel more comfortable when the method is used for a certain type of purpose. Which type?

A)benchmarking
B)administrative
C)development
D)customer relations

Question 52

Which are the simplest methods for appraising performance?

A)category scaling methods
B)comparative methods
C)written methods
D)behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS)

Question 53

Which statement presents a major disadvantage of the BARS method of performance appraisal?

A)The method requires various appraisal forms to accommodate different types of jobs.
B)The use of technical terms in the scales hampers the raters.
C)The BARS format does not offer substantial advantages over other scale formats.
D)The rating scales are often developed by different people that will eventually use them.

Question 54

One kind of feedback recognizes that employee performance can be multidimensional and can cross departmental, organizational, and global boundaries. Which of the following terms best applies?

A)global appraisal approach
B)360-degree feedback
C)team appraisal
D)comprehensive appraisal

Question 55

Consider these phrases: "Greeted customer within 10 seconds of customer's entry into store" and "Failed to greet customer until customer addressed employee." For which performance appraisal method would they be typical?

A)ranking
B)management by objectives
C)behavioural rating scale
D)forced distribution

Question 56

Performance appraisals at Swamp Blossom Designs Ltd. always occur on the employee's anniversary of employment. A standard protocol is in place to report managerial impressions and observations on employee performance. What is this an example of?

A)systematic appraisal
B)objective evaluation
C)subjective evaluation
D)informal appraisal

Question 57

At Triad Software Ltd., appraisals for non-technical employees are conducted annually, while technical employees receive evaluations every six months. Which of the following statements provides the probable reason for the more frequent evaluations of technical employees?

A)Developmental cycles for technical employees are short.
B)They need more performance guidance from their managers.
C)They tend to be harder to manage because of poor interpersonal skills.
D)They are more prone to turnover.

Question 58

The vice president of HR for Health Wizard Ltd. is designing a performance appraisal system that allows subordinates to rate their supervisors. The supervisors are concerned about this and have raised many objections. Which of the following ideas are they unlikely to have presented?

A)that the appraisals will interfere with their development as supervisors
B)that letting subordinates evaluate them is inappropriate
C)that they will be rated on how nice they are to subordinates rather than on how well they supervised
D)that subordinates will avoid giving them negative feedback because of fear of reprisals

Question 59

Raters in a multisource appraisal situation know that their input will affect someone's career or pay. Which of the following do they commonly do in response?

A)avoid completion of the ratings
B)inflate ratings
C)provide highly accurate ratings
D)minimize ratings

Question 60

On which assumption are the traditional ratings of employees by supervisors based?

A)Supervisors provide criticisms that the employees who report to them will be more receptive to hearing.
B)Supervisors are more aware of their subordinates' desires and goals.
C)Supervisors are the people most qualified to evaluate the employees' performance realistically and fairly.
D)Supervisors have regular day-to-day opportunities for informal appraisals.

Question 61

Which of the following enables evaluation to take place?

A)meeting of the minds between manager and subordinate
B)performance standards
C)managerial consensus
D)numerical measures of performance

Question 62

The training of raters should centre on two main things. One is minimizing rater errors. Which of the following is the other?

A)documenting performance information
B)effectively timing performance appraisals
C)counselling subordinates to improve performance
D)communicating ratings to subordinates

Question 63

The manager of an automotive repair shop keeps a logbook in which she records both especially good and especially poor actions of the mechanics. Which of the following appraisal methods is the manager using?

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

Question 64

One method of performance appraisal is based on the critical assumption that the performance of employees in a department corresponds to the classic bell-shaped curve. What is the name of this method?

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

Question 65

Which of the following statements identifies the practical effect of a central tendency error?

A)Everyone is rated the same.
B)The timing of information affects the rating.
C)Available information is insufficient or inaccurate.
D)Rater prejudices affect the ratings.

Question 66

An individual and a manager come to an agreement on which performance goals the employee will try to reach within an appropriate time. Which of the following appraisal methods is in use?

A)management by objectives (MBO)
B)strategic performance management
C)critical incident technique (CIT)
D)performance counselling

Question 67

Some managers tend to rate their subordinates relative to other subordinates rather than by applying performance standards. Which of the following terms best describes this error?

A)central tendency
B)contrast
C)generalization
D)halo

Question 68

Which hint for managers conducting appraisal interviews is the LEAST helpful?

A)Consider your own role in the subordinate's performance.
B)Focus on the past.
C)Allow the subordinate to talk.
D)Be specific about reasons for the ratings.

Question 69

Which of these types of employees would the management by objectives process work best for?

A)assembly-line employees at a commercial bakery
B)guides at a museum of natural history
C)managers in an oil refinery
D)clerical staff at an insurance company headquarters

Question 70

Which of the following statements presents the key factor underlying the management by objectives approach?

A)The manager and subordinate work together on the goals.
B)Goals are subjective.
C)The goals will push the subordinate to the highest limits of his/her abilities.
D)The manager has close, daily access to the subordinate in order to monitor progress.

Question 71

Curtis supervises a large number of clerical employees. Several of his subordinates have had babies this year. Curtis has considered this when conducting the performance appraisals of these subordinates because he knows that new mothers are frequently sleep-deprived and that this can negatively affect their accuracy and performance levels. Curtis raises these employees' evaluations higher than what objectively they should have been. Which kind of error has Curtis committed?

A)varying standards
B)leniency
C)contrast
D)similar to me

Question 72

The forced distribution method of performance appraisal is associated with several disadvantages; however, among the list below, which is NOT a disadvantage?

A)It may lead a manager making false distinctions between employees in an attempt to fill the required percentages.
B)It may mean that a supervisor is reluctant to place employees in the lowest or highest group.
C)It may be based on a faulty assumption, namely, that a bell-shaped or other distribution of performance exists.
D)It may cause supervisors to inflate ratings artificially.

Question 73

Alvin, a sales representative for a company making industrial solvents, lost a major customer last month. Until then, Alvin's year was about average in the level of sales. Early in the year, Alvin brought in two new customers of about the size of the customer he lost last month. Alvin's supervisor gives Alvin an unsatisfactory rating in his annual performance appraisal. Which kind of error has Alvin's supervisor likely committed?

A)contrast
B)primacy
C)strictness
D)recency

Question 74

Cheryl, a branch manager at Prairie Ridge Bank, is upset that all the tellers in the various branches will be evaluated by the ranking system. The tellers' raises will be determined by their ranking, and the worst ranked teller in each branch will be terminated. Cheryl has many concerns about using the ranking method, and she goes to the executive vice president of HR to present her arguments. Which argument is the vice president LEAST likely to hear?

A)It will be too difficult for Cheryl to distinguish between her best and worst performers.
B)There are 17 branches, and the ranking system will be too unwieldy to use for so many groups.
C)The size of the difference in performance among individuals is not defined in the ranking method.
D)Cheryl's worst performing employee may be better than another branch manager's average performing employee.

Question 75

In one performance appraisal method, employee objectives are developed based on internal business processes and external outcomes. Which of the following is that method?

A)balanced scorecard
B)360-degree feedback
C)behaviourally anchored rating scales
D)management by objectives

Question 76

Performance appraisal feedback can cause change in the subordinate's behaviour. In order to achieve change, which of the following needs to be provided?

A)admission by the manager that he/she played a role in the subordinate's poor performance
B)punishment connected with poor performance
C)specific suggestions for action
D)a specific reward attached to improved performance

Question 77

Neil, the director of HR for a commercial graphics design firm, has found that the supervisors in the company give generous and lenient appraisals to their subordinates. It is difficult to determine from the appraisals which employees deserve pay raises more than others. Neil has decided to address this problem. Which of the following approaches to performance appraisal is the most likely to implement?

A)category scaling
B)self-rating
C)narrative
D)comparative

Question 78

In one form of appraisal, the manager records both highly favourable and unfavourable aspects of an employee's performance throughout a rating period. Which of the following terms best identifies this method?

A)paired comparisons
B)critical incident
C)essay
D)checklist

Question 79

When an appraiser rates all employees within a narrow, usually average range, which kind of error has the appraiser committed?.

A)central tendency
B)leniency
C)contrast
D)generalization

Question 80

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of the balanced scorecard?

A)the whole organization focused on the key things needed to create breakthrough performance
B)strategic measures broken down to local levels
C)the organization helped to integrate various corporate programs, such as quality and customer service initiatives
D)employee commitment increased because objectives are developed from the bottom up