Deck 11: Performance Management Systems

Question 1

Behaviorally anchored rating scales are designed to reduce halo,leniency,and central tendency errors.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: Behaviorally anchored rating scales are designed to reduce halo, leniency, and central tendency errors because they provide managers with specific examples of performance against which to evaluate an employee.

Question 2

Most behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARSs)use the term job dimension to mean those broad categories of duties and responsibilities that make up a job.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: Most behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARSs) use the term job dimension to mean those broad categories of duties and responsibilities that make up a job. Each job is likely to have several job dimensions, and separate scales must be developed for each.

Question 3

Generally,one of the responsibilities of line managers in performance management is to maintain a reporting system to ensure that appraisals are conducted on a timely basis.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: One of the responsibilities of the human resource department in performance management is maintaining a reporting system to ensure that appraisals are conducted on a timely basis.

Question 4

The more a manager uses positive motivational techniques (e.g.,recognizing and praising good performance),the more satisfied an employee is likely to be with the appraisal interview and with the manager.

Question 5

Leniency is the tendency of a manager to rate most employees' performance near the middle of the performance scale.

Question 6

Ability refers to the amount of energy an individual uses in performing a task.

Question 7

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act permits the use of a bona fide performance appraisal system.

Question 8

In the context of a performance improvement plan,the question "Where are we now?" is answered in the performance appraisal process.

Question 9

The only necessary condition for high-level performance is an individual's ability.

Question 10

Management by objectives (MBO)requires that employees participate in the process of performance evaluation by helping to set objectives.

Question 11

Major advantages of behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARSs)include their simplicity and ease of development.

Question 12

The most common practice in the checklist method of performance appraisal requires an evaluator to rank a set of statements describing how an employee carries out the duties and responsibilities of a job.

Question 13

An understanding of job descriptions is crucial for conducting performance appraisals.

Question 14

The halo effect occurs when a rater allows a single prominent characteristic of an employee to influence his or her judgment on each separate item in the performance appraisal.

Question 15

The focus of the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)and,to some extent,the graphic rating scale and checklist methods of performance appraisal is primarily on performance outcomes.

Question 16

The critical-incident appraisal method requires an evaluator to keep a written record of job behaviors that illustrate both the satisfactory and unsatisfactory performance of the employee being rated.

Question 17

It is generally recommended that informal performance appraisals should be conducted two or three times a year for most employees.

Question 18

One method to make performance appraisal systems more legally acceptable is by emphasizing work behaviors of the employee being assessed rather than his or her personal traits.

Question 19

The work standards approach to performance evaluation is most frequently used for production employees.

Question 20

The Civil Service Reform Act permits the use of ranking methods for federal employees.

Question 21

Pals Computer Inc.is using the graphic rating scale method for its employees' performance appraisal.Which of the following is a major weakness of this appraisal method?

A) This method is suitable only for managerial employees.
B) Evaluators fail to consider attendance, accuracy of work, and cooperativeness when rating employees.
C) This method includes only numerical ranges and completely avoids written descriptions.
D) Evaluators are unlikely to interpret written descriptions in the same manner due to differences in background, experience, and personality.

Question 22

Which of the following employee ranking systems assumes the performance level in a group of employees will be distributed according to a bell-shaped,or "normal," curve?

A) Forced distribution method
B) Free determination method
C) Paired comparison ranking
D) Alternation raking

Question 23

Personal characteristics used in performing a job are called:

A) efforts.
B) abilities.
C) interests.
D) needs.

Question 24

The senior management of Coral Isle Hotels wants to introduce performance management systems within the organization.To provide a powerful incentive for the employees to work diligently,the management should link the systems to a(n):

A) outplacement program.
B) regressive tax system.
C) organizational reward system.
D) formal organization chart.

Question 25

Environmental factors should be viewed as:

A) direct determinants of performance.
B) modifying the effects of effort, ability, and direction.
C) being the sole concern of employees, not their managers.
D) performance obstacles under the control of employees.

Question 26

The ____ appraisal method requires that the evaluation describe an employee's performance in written narrative form.

A) essay
B) alternation ranking
C) work standards
D) checklist

Question 27

Gerald is conducting a performance appraisal of the employees in his department,ranking them from the most to the least valuable.He lists the names of the employees to be rated on the left side of a sheet of paper.Then he chooses the most valuable employee on the list,crosses that name off the left-hand list,and puts it at the top of the column on the right-hand side of the paper.Next,he selects and crosses off the name of the least valuable employee from the left-hand column and moves it to the bottom of the right-hand column.Gerald repeats this process for all of the names on the left-hand side of the paper.The resulting list of names in the right-hand column gives a ranking of the employees from the most to the least valuable.Identify the ranking method Gerald is using.

A) Paired comparison ranking
B) Forced distribution
C) Alternation ranking
D) Central tendency distribution

Question 28

Which method is most commonly reserved for appraisal of managers and professionals?

A) Management by objectives
B) Work standards appraisal
C) Critical-incident appraisal
D) Micromanagement programs

Question 29

In the checklist appraisal method,a rater indicates judgments using:

A) a six-square grid.
B) descriptive paragraphs.
C) yes-or-no responses.
D) a seven-point scale.

Question 30

An employee's lack of time or conflicting demands upon it,inadequate work facilities and equipment,restrictive policies that affect the job,lack of cooperation from others,type of supervision,temperature,lighting,noise,machine or equipment pacing,shifts,and even luck,are all examples of:

A) task perceptions as they relate to performance.
B) affirmative action plans as they relate to performance.
C) direct determinants of employee performance.
D) environmental factors as performance obstacles.

Question 31

Which of the following is a typical step in the management by results process?

A) Describing an employee's performance in written narrative form
B) Measuring objective achievement
C) Keeping a written record of performance-related incidents as they occur
D) Rating employees based on accuracy of work

Question 32

____ refers to the amount of energy (physical and/or mental)an individual uses in performing a task.

A) Ability
B) Interest
C) Agility
D) Effort

Question 33

Maroon Hotels Inc.is using the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)method of employee performance appraisal.What is the advantage of using BARS?

A) It allows the active participation of both managers and job incumbents.
B) It is an extremely simple and easy appraisal method to develop and execute.
C) It focuses on performance outcomes rather than functional behaviors.
D) It does not require separate appraisal forms for different jobs.

Question 34

The process of evaluating and communicating to an employee how he or she is performing a job and establishing a plan of improvement is referred to as:

A) job analysis.
B) benchmarking.
C) performance appraisal.
D) career plateauing.

Question 35

The degree of accomplishment of the tasks that make up an employee's job is called:

A) performance.
B) job depth.
C) endurance.
D) job scope.

Question 36

Which of the following is a typical responsibility of a human resources department regarding performance management?

A) Completing the forms used in appraising employees
B) Training managers in conducting performance appraisals
C) Reviewing appraisals with employees
D) Evaluating the performance of employees

Question 37

Which of the following is a method of performance appraisal that attempts to eliminate evaluator bias by making a rater rank statements that are seemingly indistinguishable or unrelated?

A) Forced-choice rating
B) Graphic rating scale
C) 360-degree feedback
D) Critical-incident appraisal

Question 38

Which of the following acts does not permit the use of ranking methods for federal employees?

A) The Employee Free Choice Act
B) The Equal Employment Opportunity Act
C) The Civil Service Reform Act
D) The National Labor Relations Act

Question 39

Determinants of performance include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) role perception.
B) effort.
C) ability.
D) diversity.

Question 40

Which of the following performance appraisal methods is also referred to as multi-rater assessment?

A) 360-degree feedback
B) Essay appraisal
C) Critical-incident appraisal
D) Behaviorally anchored rating scale

Question 41

List a few environmental factors that may act as performance obstacles.

Question 42

Which of the following is an effective practice for a manager to apply when conducting an employee's performance appraisal interview?

A) Evaluating the employee based on his or her personality
B) Concentrating on the employee's weaknesses
C) Knowing the employee's job description
D) Being as subjective as possible

Question 43

WM Automobiles Inc.is using the work standards approach to performance appraisal.Which of the following should the company use as a standard to evaluate a production worker's performance?

A) The cooperativeness of a typical employee
B) The highest level of productivity in the organization
C) The rate of error of a new employee
D) The average output of a typical employee

Question 44

The ____ approach to performance appraisal is most frequently used for production employees and is basically a form of goal setting for these employees.

A) management by objectives
B) forced-distribution
C) critical-incident
D) work standards

Question 45

____ is the inclination of a manager to rate most employees' performance near the middle of the performance scale.

A) Leniency error
B) Central tendency error
C) Recency error
D) Fundamental attribution error

Question 46

Which of the following is an error that occurs in performance appraisals when a manager's ratings are grouped at the positive end instead of being spread throughout the performance scale?

A) Leniency
B) The central tendency
C) The halo effect
D) Recency

Question 47

Describe behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS).

Question 48

SyncOne Inc.has decided to use management by objectives (MBO)as its performance appraisal method.Discuss the steps involved in executing MBO.How will the employees at SyncOne benefit by being a part of their organization's MBO?

Question 49

Explain the performance appraisal process and the uses of performance appraisal data.

Question 50

Brenda had been consistently meeting all her deadlines and performance standards over the past year.However,due to certain health issues,her performance over the last six weeks has been below average.Brenda's manager turned in a poor performance appraisal based on her performance over the last month.Which of the following errors in performance appraisals does this case reflect?

A) Leniency
B) The central tendency
C) The halo effect
D) Recency

Question 51

What are some determinants of performance?

Question 52

Describe potential errors in performance appraisals.

Question 53

One of the most promising approaches to overcoming performance appraisal errors is to:

A) improve appraisers' rating skills.
B) limit the appraising responsibility to the human resource department.
C) raise the tolerance level for errors.
D) base the evaluation on the personality of employees rather than their performance.

Question 54

List the three components of a performance improvement plan.

Question 55

Which of the following is a suggestion for making performance appraisal systems more legally acceptable?

A) Derive the content of the appraisal system from job analyses
B) Emphasize personal traits rather than work behaviours
C) Ensure that the results of appraisals are not divulged to employees
D) Ensuring that personnel decisions are separated from performance appraisals

Question 56

Which of the following is an advantage of the work standards approach to performance review?

A) It is based on highly objective factors.
B) It is best suited for evaluating managers and professionals.
C) It allows comparability of standards for different job categories.
D) It sets the benchmark against the standards of the highest performers.

Question 57

Describe the essay performance appraisal method.

Question 58

Which of the following is an error that occurs in performance appraisals when a rater allows a single prominent characteristic of an employee to influence his or her judgment on each separate item in the performance appraisal?

A) Leniency
B) The central tendency
C) The halo effect
D) Recency

Question 59

Describe the forced-distribution method of performance appraisal.

Question 60

Describe ways of overcoming errors in performance appraisals.