Deck 17: Appraising Performance

Question 1

According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's general guidelines on performance appraisals,the behaviors or characteristics measured by a performance appraisal should strictly be:

A) related to the educational qualification of the employee.
B) related to the job and to succeeding on the job.
C) based on the company's policies.
D) based on an employee's personal views.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A performance appraisal method in which the supervisor keeps a record of situations that show positive and negative ways the employee has acted and uses it to assess the employee's performance is known as the:

A) critical-incident appraisal.
B) checklist appraisal.
C) graphic rating scale.
D) forced-choice approach.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following appraisal methods is best suited for measuring the relative performance of employees in a group?

A) Essay appraisal
B) Forced-choice approach
C) Paired-comparison approach
D) Critical-incident appraisal

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The major advantage of using BARS is that they:

A) prevent a supervisor from saying only positive things about employees.
B) can be tailored to the organization's objectives for employees.
C) are more subjective than some other approaches.
D) do not allow the pay structure to be linked to performance.

Question 5

It has been observed that a majority of companies direct their managers to separate performance appraisals from discussions of pay.Which of the following is most likely to be the reason behind this?

A) The employees focus more on individual performance making them very self-centered and unwilling to work as part of a team.
B) The employees focus more on the pay leading them to utilize all kinds of unethical means to meet the set standards.
C) The employees are intimidated by this process leading to a drastic drop in their productivity.
D) The employees focus more on the pay making it difficult for supervisors to use performance evaluation as an opportunity for motivating and coaching.

Question 6

A supervisor ideally determines the expected accomplishments of a department or work group during the:

A) planning process.
B) reinforcement process.
C) directing process.
D) staffing process.

Question 7

The last step in the performance appraisal process involves:

A) providing remedies or reinforcing performance.
B) establishing and communicating performance standards.
C) establishing and communicating performance expectations.
D) observing and measuring individual performance against standards.

Question 8

Which of the following is a disadvantage typically associated with the graphic rating scale appraisal method?

A) The ratings are subjective.
B) It is very complicated to handle.
C) The ratings are unfair.
D) It fails to measure the degree of improvement.

Question 9

Which of the following is true of the paired-comparison appraisal approach?

A) It typically involves hiring organizational psychologists to analyze the performance of the employees as a group.
B) It requires the appraiser to choose the most appropriate statement from a series of statements about an employee.
C) It is most effective when the supervisor wants to find one outstanding employee in a group.
D) It requires the supervisor to write a detailed description of the employee's performance.

Question 10

In the performance appraisal process,if a supervisor finds that the reason behind an employee's poor performance is his lack of certain skills,the supervisor should ideally:

A) dismiss the concerned employee.
B) reprimand the employee in public.
C) provide the necessary training.
D) adjust the appraisal standards and ratings.

Question 11

Since performance expectations are a type of objective,they should be:

A) discreet.
B) indefinite.
C) ambiguous.
D) measurable.

Question 12

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of the forced-choice approach to appraisal?

A) It requires the supervisor to write a detailed description of the employee's performance.
B) It requires hiring organizational psychologists to analyze the performance of the employees as a group.
C) It requires the supervisor to keep a written record of incidents that show positive and negative ways an employee has acted.
D) It involves the supervisor choosing from sets of statements, the most characteristic and the least characteristic ones describing an employee.

Question 13

In the course of the performance appraisal process,the supervisor should ideally start with:

A) observing and measuring individual performance against standards.
B) establishing and communicating expectations for performance.
C) establishing and communicating standards for measuring performance.
D) reinforcing performance or providing remedies.

Question 14

A graphic rating scale is best defined as a performance appraisal:

A) that primarily rates the degree to which an employee has achieved various characteristics.
B) that primarily measures the relative performance of employees in a group.
C) that presents an appraiser with sets of statements describing employee behavior and requires the appraiser to rate the statements.
D) in which a supervisor typically keeps a written record of incidents that show positive and negative ways an employee has acted.

Question 15

Which of the following is one of the advantages primarily associated with a performance appraisal?

A) It protects employees against discrimination on the basis of race.
B) It motivates employees to work on their shortcomings.
C) It encourages employees to play the role of the whistle-blower.
D) It accurately measures the resources of the firm.

Question 16

In the context of performance appraisals and pay reviews,which of the following statements is true?

A) The pay of an employee has no link to his/her performance, as the pay for every employee is typically fixed by the EEOC.
B) The fixing of pay on the basis of performance makes training and coaching programs more effective.
C) Companies that do not base the pay structure on performance can more readily keep the appraisal focused on the employee's performance.
D) A performance appraisal should not focus on behavior.

Question 17

The appraisal method that contains a series of questions such as "Does the employee have adequate job knowledge?" to which the appraiser answers yes or no is known as the:

A) essay appraisal.
B) forced-choice approach.
C) graphic rating scale.
D) checklist appraisal.

Question 18

The behaviorally anchored rating scale is best defined as a performance appraisal:

A) method that only marks the degree to which an employee has achieved various characteristics.
B) method in which the employee is rated on scales containing statements describing performance in several areas.
C) that presents an appraiser with sets of statements describing employee behavior and the appraiser rates the statements.
D) in which a supervisor typically keeps a written record of incidents that show positive and negative ways an employee has acted.

Question 19

During a performance appraisal,labeling people with certain characteristics is most likely to:

A) motivate employees.
B) increase the dedication of employees.
C) put employees on the defensive.
D) increase employee productivity.

Question 20

Performance appraisal is best defined as the process of:

A) giving formal feedback on how well an employee is performing his or her job.
B) developing objectives that specify how each department will support organizational goals.
C) creating a back-up plan along with the original strategic plan.
D) identifying people interested in holding a particular job or working for the organization.

Question 21

The tendency to select employee ratings in the middle of a rating scale is called:

A) leniency bias.
B) harshness bias.
C) central tendency.
D) similarity bias.

Question 22

In the context of conducting an appraisal interview,the supervisor should:

A) fill the appraisal form just one hour before the interview to prevent his prejudices from clouding his judgment.
B) notify the employees about the appraisal interview ahead of time so that they get the time to think about their performance.
C) arrange the interview in an area that is easily accessible to the other employees to increase the transparency of the system.
D) discourage the employees from offering any form of feedback as this would only lead to an argument.

Question 23

The tendency to assign similar scores to items that are near each other on a questionnaire is called:

A) harshness bias.
B) similarity bias.
C) proximity bias.
D) central tendency.

Question 24

While conducting performance appraisals,Mac gives more weight to factors such as a problem the employee caused last week,or to an award the employee just won.This tendency is specifically referred to as the:

A) recency syndrome.
B) similarity bias.
C) proximity bias.
D) halo effect.

Question 25

The appraisal process takes place in two steps,establishing and communicating expectations for performance.

Question 26

Grace believes that all graduates from a certain university have poor engineering skills,and uses this belief as a base to appraise the performance of all employees from that university.Grace's _____ is affecting the appraisal process.

A) central tendency
B) narcissism
C) ethical belief
D) prejudice

Question 27

Work-standards approach to appraisal is best defined as a performance appraisal:

A) method that only marks the degree to which an employee has achieved various characteristics.
B) method in which the employee is rated on scales containing statements describing performance in several areas.
C) that presents an appraiser with sets of statements describing employee behavior and requires the appraiser to rate the statements.
D) method in which the appraiser compares the employee's performance to objective measures of what an employee should do.

Question 28

Through action plans,a supervisor spells out who is to do what to accomplish the objectives set during the planning process.

Question 29

The most effective way to overcome the bias resulting from the recency syndrome is to:

A) focus on the recent information.
B) keep records throughout the year.
C) use the employee's co-workers to do the rating.
D) use the essay appraisal method.

Question 30

Tim shares his supervisor's views on political issues and also his interest in golf.It is observed that Tim is given an excellent appraisal report even though he deserved only an average.This form of bias is referred to as:

A) halo effect.
B) similarity bias.
C) central tendency.
D) harshness bias.

Question 31

To ensure that the employees are clear about the objectives to be achieved by them,the supervisors should exclude them from the process of developing performance goals.

Question 32

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of a 360-degree feedback method?

A) It requires that only the supervisor assess the subordinates.
B) It combines assessments from several sources.
C) It combines the checklist appraisal and the work-standards approach.
D) It is also known as peer review.

Question 33

A formal performance appraisal ensures that feedback to an employee covers all important aspects of the employee's performance.

Question 34

The performance appraisal method in which a supervisor compares each employee's accomplishments with the goals for that employee is referred to as:

A) critical-incident appraisal.
B) checklist appraisal.
C) work-standards approach.
D) management by objectives.

Question 35

The primary purpose of holding an appraisal interview should be to:

A) allow employees to demand salary increases.
B) communicate information about the employee's performance.
C) form informal groups so as to improve employee performance.
D) sort out the problem of nepotism.

Question 36

When conducting the appraisal interview,the supervisor should initially:

A) attempt to put the employee at ease.
B) reprimand the employee for his/her poor performance.
C) provoke the employee to act instinctively.
D) try to look over the mistakes of the employee.

Question 37

Which of the following appraisal methods would be most effective in checking the recency syndrome?

A) Critical-incident appraisal
B) Peer review
C) Essay appraisal
D) Graphic rating scale method

Question 38

Performance appraisals are not of much help in motivating employees.

Question 39

The difference between a harshness bias and a leniency bias is that:

A) the former involves selecting employee ratings in the middle of a scale and the latter involves selecting employee ratings toward the ends.
B) the former involves rating employees more severely and the latter involves rating employees more favorably than their performance merit.
C) the former involves assigning similar scores to items that are near each other on a questionnaire and the latter involves leaving out items placed close together.
D) the former involves judging others more negatively when they are like oneself and the latter involves judging others more positively when they are like oneself.

Question 40

At the end of the appraisal interview,the supervisor and the employee should ideally:

A) explain the basis for the ratings.
B) ask the human resources department to fill the appraisal form.
C) sign the appraisal form.
D) review the employee's self-appraisal.

Question 41

A rating on a personal characteristic seems more reasonable when a supervisor has evidence supporting his/her conclusion.

Question 42

The critical-incident appraisal has the advantage of focusing on actual behaviors.

Question 43

Subordinate appraisals and other 360-degree feedback contribute toward increasing instances of appraisal biases.

Question 44

The harshness bias cheats the employees and the department of the benefits of truly developing and coaching employees.

Question 45

Dan was asked to help his supervisor by assessing the work performance of one of his co-workers.This assessment method is an example of a peer review.

Question 46

Supervisors with the leniency bias rate their employees more favorably than their performance merits.

Question 47

The main disadvantage of a graphic rating scale is that it is relatively complex to use.

Question 48

When preparing a performance appraisal,a supervisor compares the performance information with the standards for the employee being appraised.

Question 49

The main advantage of a checklist appraisal is that it is easy to prepare.

Question 50

If performance is suffering because the employee has personal problems,there is little a supervisor can do other than considering his/her dismissal.

Question 51

The forced-choice approach is used when an organization determines that supervisors have been rating an unbelievably low proportion of employees as above average.

Question 52

A performance appraisal should focus on categorizing and labeling the employees to make the process more transparent.

Question 53

In the work-standards approach,a supervisor tries to establish objective measures of performance.

Question 54

The BARS appraisal approach is more subjective than the other appraisal approaches because it does not use statements describing behavior.

Question 55

Although the work-standards approach has been applied largely to production workers,the principle of objectively measuring outcomes makes sense for a variety of jobs.

Question 56

The main drawback of the essay appraisal method is that its quality depends on the supervisor's writing skills.

Question 57

The MBO approach is a performance appraisal in which an appraiser compares an employee's performance with a previously set general standard.

Question 58

The paired-comparison approach is appropriate when a supervisor needs to find one outstanding employee in a group.

Question 59

In a 360-degree feedback,typically the ratings are anonymous to protect the workers.

Question 60

The supervisor typically dictates which appraising technique needs to be used in a particular situation.

Question 61

A supervisor should take the employees by surprise in the appraisal interview and should not inform them of the interview ahead of time.

Question 62

Of the major sources of bias,describe one that you have recently faced.

Question 63

Describe the critical-incident appraisal method of performance appraisal.What are the advantages and disadvantage associated with this method?

Question 64

The purpose of holding an appraisal interview is to communicate information about an employee's performance.

Question 65

Mark,a supervisor,is about to give his first performance appraisal.How should he prepare himself?

Question 66

Define performance appraisal and list the benefits of conducting a performance appraisal.

Question 67

Even after the interview is over,the supervisor continues appraising performance.

Question 68

The recency syndrome refers to the human tendency to place the most weight on the oldest event related to an employee's performance.

Question 69

The proximity bias is the tendency of a supervisor to judge a person more positively when they are like him/her.

Question 70

List the various types of performance appraisal methods.Briefly discuss one of the methods.

Question 71

Explain the halo effect.

Question 72

What are the steps in the performance appraisal process?

Question 73

Discuss the EEOC guidelines for performance appraisals.

Question 74

What are the major sources of bias related to performance appraisals?

Question 75

Employees should not be allowed to offer feedback after the evaluation of their performance.

Question 76

Discuss how the similarity bias affects the performance appraisal.

Question 77

One ideal way to begin the appraisal interview is by reviewing the employee's self-appraisal.

Question 78

The halo effect refers to instances where the supervisor gives an average rating to all his employees.

Question 79

As the quality of employees' performance depends entirely on the employee and not on the organization's systems,rewards should always be connected to individual performance.

Question 80

Jenny,the supervisor at MIH Inc.,realizes that she has rated an employee's performance too low,so she tries to compensate by throwing in a few favorable ratings in areas she did not feel strongly about.It would be appropriate to say that Jenny is making random choices.