Deck 17: Appraising Performance

Question 1

In the appraisal process, while reinforcing performance or providing remedies, a supervisor

A) investigates the underlying problem and identifies solutions.
B) determines what a department or a work group should accomplish.
C) decides how to measure employees' performances.
D) gathers information about each employee's performance.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In the appraisal process, while observing and measuring individual performance against standards, a supervisor

A) investigates the underlying problem and identifies solutions.
B) determines what a department or a work group should accomplish.
C) decides how to measure employees' performances.
D) gathers information about each employee's performance.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In the appraisal process, after a supervisor establishes and communicates standards for measuring performance, the next step is to

A) observe and measure individual performance against set criteria.
B) reinforce performance or provide remedies.
C) establish and communicate expectations for performance.
D) determine what a department or a work group should accomplish.

Question 5

In the appraisal process, while uncovering the underlying problems, if performance is suffering because an employee has personal problems, a supervisor should most appropriately

A) apply the principles of motivation.
B) see that the employee gets the necessary training.
C) change the way work is done.
D) handle the situation with counseling and discipline.

Question 6

In the appraisal process, which step should a supervisor undertake after establishing and communicating expectations for performance?

A) Observe and measure individual performance against standards
B) Reinforce performance or provide remedies
C) Establish and communicate standards for measuring performance
D) Determine what a department or a work group should accomplish

Question 7

Jeff, a supervisor at a restaurant, tells his employees that they are required to cook and deliver food on time to customers. Jeff sets timely delivery as their basic expectation for performance. According to the process of performance appraisal, which of the following steps should Jeff take next?

A) He should observe and measure the individual performance of his employees.
B) He should conduct training programs to help his employees meet his expectations.
C) He should hire experts to set objectives for appraisal.
D) He should establish and communicate how he would measure his employees' performances.

Question 8

A performance appraisal should focus on an employee's

A) intelligence and experience.
B) personality and beliefs.
C) behavior and results.
D) age and qualification.

Question 9

In the appraisal process, while establishing and communicating expectations for performance, a supervisor

A) investigates the underlying problem and identifies solutions.
B) determines what a department or a work group should accomplish.
C) decides how to measure employees' performances.
D) gathers information about each employee's performance.

Question 10

In the appraisal process, while establishing and communicating standards for measuring performance, a supervisor

A) investigates the underlying problem and identifies solutions.
B) determines what a department or a work group should accomplish.
C) decides how to assess employees' performances.
D) gathers information about each employee's performance.

Question 11

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 enables employees to put forth the greatest effort in the areas that get appraised.
C) It encourages employees to play the role of the whistle-blower.
D) It encourages employees to ignore and forget their weak areas.

Question 12

In the course of the performance appraisal process, a 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 13

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 14

In the appraisal process, while uncovering the underlying problems, if the problem is a lack of effort on an employee's part, a supervisor should most appropriately

A) apply the principles of motivation.
B) see that the employee gets the necessary training.
C) change the way work is done.
D) handle the situation with counseling and discipline.

Question 15

Performance appraisal is best defined as the process of

A) giving formal feedback on how well an employee is doing 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 an organization.

Question 16

Linda, a supervisor at an IT firm, has established and communicated the company's basic objectives and targets to her subordinates. She also tells them how she will measure their performance. During the performance appraisal, she observes and measures the performance of her subordinates against the standards she had earlier communicated with them. According to the process of performance appraisal, which of the following steps should Linda take next?

A) Linda should reinforce good performance and give remedies for shortcomings.
B) Linda should close the performance appraisal process by getting the signatures of her subordinates on a feedback form.
C) Linda should get peers and other supervisors to review the performance of her subordinates.
D) Linda should revise the standards used in the performance appraisal process.

Question 17

Which of the following is true of the process of performance appraisal?

A) It is a random process that takes place in six steps.
B) It is a single, short-term event.
C) It ends with measuring individual performance against standards.
D) It enables supervisors to reinforce good performance.

Question 18

In the appraisal process, while uncovering the underlying problems, if organizational policies and procedures reward inefficient or less-than-high-quality behavior, a supervisor should most appropriately

A) apply the principles of motivation.
B) see that an employee gets the necessary training.
C) change the way work is done.
D) handle the situation with counseling and discipline.

Question 19

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 20

To deliver their potential benefits, performance appraisals must be completely

A) fair and accurate.
B) subjective.
C) rigid and biased.
D) task-oriented.

Question 21

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

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

Question 22

In the context of the types of appraisals, the paired-comparison approach

A) rates the degree to which an employee has achieved various characteristics.
B) combines assessments from several sources, including customers or peers.
C) can be used to identify the best candidate for a special assignment.
D) can be tailored to an organization's objectives for employees.

Question 23

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

Question 24

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 or her performance, as the pay for every employee is typically fixed by the EEO
B) The fixing of pay on the basis of performance makes training and coaching programs more effective.
C)
C) Companies that do not base the pay structure on performance can more readily keep the appraisal focused on an employee's performance.
D) A performance appraisal should not focus on behavior.

Question 25

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 an 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.

Question 26

Identify an accurate statement about the forced-choice approach of performance appraisal.

A) It prevents a supervisor from saying only positive things about employees.
B) It requires supervisors to write detailed descriptions about every aspect and behavior of their employees.
C) It is the most used type of performance appraisal.
D) It is ineffective because it relies on the quality of the writing skills of a supervisor.

Question 27

Which of the following statements is true of essay appraisals?

A) They are unaffected by the quality of the writing skills of a supervisor.
B) They provide an opportunity to describe aspects of performance that are not thoroughly covered by an appraisal questionnaire.
C) They are the most popular method of performance appraisal.
D) They involve selecting statements from a list that best describe an employee's characteristics and ranking these statements.

Question 28

In which of the following types of appraisals does a supervisor list the employees in a group and then rank them?

A) Forced-choice approach
B) Work-standards approach
C) 360-degree feedback approach
D) Paired-comparison approach

Question 29

Identify an accurate statement about the paired-comparison approach of performance appraisal.

A) It is ineffective in determining the best candidate for promotion.
B) It requires an appraiser to choose the most appropriate statement from a series of statements about an employee.
C) It makes some employees look good at the expense of others.
D) It is the most commonly used type of appraisal.

Question 30

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

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

Question 31

Which of the following is a characteristic of effective performance appraisal measures?

A) They are subjective.
B) They are based on labels.
C) They are outside employees' control.
D) They are related to specific tasks.

Question 32

A graphic rating scale is best defined as a performance appraisal

A) that primarily marks 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 that requires the appraiser to rate the statements.
D) that requires a supervisor to keep a written record of incidents that show positive and negative ways an employee has acted.

Question 33

In the context of what to measure in an appraisal, focusing on results means that the appraisal should

A) be based on the labels assigned to people who behave in a particular way.
B) describe specific actions or patterns of actions.
C) be subjective and outside employees' control.
D) describe the extent to which an employee has satisfied the objectives for which he or she is responsible.

Question 34

The most commonly used type of appraisal is the ________.

A) critical-incident appraisal
B) graphic rating scale
C) work-standards approach
D) behaviorally anchored rating scale

Question 35

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 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 36

Behaviorally anchored rating scales are best defined as a performance appraisal

A) that only rates the degree to which an employee has achieved various characteristics.
B) in which an 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 these statements.
D) in which a supervisor typically keeps a written record of incidents that show positive and negative ways an employee has acted.

Question 37

Identify an accurate statement about graphic rating scales.

A) They provide scores that can measure improvement from year to year.
B) They are completely objective.
C) They are difficult to use.
D) They are the least commonly used type of performance appraisal.

Question 38

In the context of the types of appraisals, the ________ approach is used when an organization determines that supervisors have been rating an unbelievably high proportion of employees as above average.

A) forced-choice
B) work-standards
C) 360-degree feedback
D) paired-comparison

Question 39

The ________ published the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, which include guidelines for designing and implementing performance appraisals.

A) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
B) Association for Prohibiting Age Discrimination in Employment
C) Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Commission
D) Fair Employee Recruitment Directive

Question 40

In the context of what to measure in an appraisal, focusing on behavior means that the appraisal should

A) be based on the labels assigned to people who behave in a particular way.
B) describe specific actions or patterns of actions.
C) be subjective and outside employees' control.
D) describe the extent to which an employee has satisfied the objectives for which he or she is responsible.

Question 41

Which of the following is a disadvantage of checklist appraisal?

A) A supervisor has no way to adjust the answers for any special circumstances that affect performance.
B) The quality of the appraisal completely depends on a supervisor's writing skills.
C) It makes some employees look good at the expense of others, which can make it ineffective for motivating team performance.
D) Supervisors tend to record negative events more than positive ones, resulting in an overly harsh appraisal.

Question 42

Identify an accurate statement about behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS).

A) They are less subjective than some other approaches because they use statements describing employee performance.
B) They are a form of paired-comparison approach.
C) They use the same statements in the rating scales for all job titles in an organization.
D) They take minimal time to be developed and are inexpensive.

Question 43

At a motorcycle manufacturing unit, a supervisor determines that an employee must produce 10 units of a good in an hour. He then compares the actual performance of all employees against this parameter. The appraisal conducted by the supervisor is an example of the

A) checklist approach.
B) work-standards approach.
C) behaviorally anchored rating scales method.
D) paired-comparison method.

Question 44

Combining several sources of appraisals is called ________.

A) 360-degree feedback
B) checklist appraisal
C) essay appraisal
D) work-standards approach

Question 45

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

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

Question 46

Rating employees more favorably than their performances merits is referred to as ________ bias.

A) proximity
B) harshness
C) recency
D) leniency

Question 47

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

A) It requires that only a supervisor assess his or her 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 48

Which of the following types of appraisals can provide information that is more useful for problem solving and employee development than the typical results of a traditional top-down appraisal?

A) Subordinate appraisals and 360-degree feedback
B) Management by objectives and checklist appraisal
C) Graphic rating scales and paired-comparison approach
D) Forced-choice approach and work-standards approach

Question 49

In the context of assessments by someone other than a supervisor, supervisors

A) often know how an employee behaves at all times and in all situations.
B) always appreciate the full impact of an employee's behavior on people inside and outside an organization.
C) can use subordinate appraisals to supervise more effectively and to make their organization more competitive.
D) should ensure that the employees' names and their individual responses are revealed to everyone involved.

Question 50

________ rate employee performance using a series of statements that describe the range of performance from ineffective to effective.

A) Management by objectives
B) Behaviorally anchored rating scales
C) Critical-incident appraisals
D) Graphic rating scales

Question 51

The major advantage of using behaviorally anchored rating scales is that they

A) prevent a supervisor from saying only positive things about employees.
B) can be tailored to an 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 52

Which of the following approaches to performance appraisal is also used as a planning tool in organizations?

A) Behaviorally anchored rating scales
B) Checklist appraisals
C) Graphic rating scales
D) Management by objectives

Question 53

For 360-feedback to be effective, the person managing the review process should

A) ensure that the responses are anonymous.
B) exclude employees' peers from the appraisal process.
C) only share feedback that is positive and unbiased.
D) avoid the use of self-assessments.

Question 54

Rating employees more severely than their performances merits is referred to as ________ bias.

A) proximity
B) harshness
C) recency
D) leniency

Question 55

Which of the following statements is true about the critical-incident approach of performance appraisal?

A) It usually excludes the dates of incidents.
B) It hardly focuses on actual behaviors of employees.
C) It is the most popular method of performance appraisal in large organizations.
D) It tends to make a supervisor record negative events more than positive ones.

Question 56

Which of the following is an advantage of a critical-incident appraisal?

A) It is relatively less time consuming.
B) It is less objective than some other approaches.
C) It allows supervisors to focus on positive events.
D) It allows supervisors to focus on actual behaviors.

Question 57

Identify an accurate statement about the checklist approach of performance appraisal.

A) It is merely a record of performance rather than an evaluation by a supervisor.
B) It is difficult to complete.
C) It is subjective and requires supervisors to describe employees' performances.
D) It allows supervisors to customize their answers for special circumstances that affect an employee's performance.

Question 58

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 end.
B) the former involves rating employees more severely than their performance merits, and the latter involves rating employees more favorably than their performance merits.
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 59

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) the work-standards approach.
D) management by objectives.

Question 60

Performance appraisals conducted by an employee's co-workers are known as ________.

A) checklist appraisals
B) peer reviews
C) 360-degree appraisals
D) graphic rating scales

Question 61

________ refers to the tendency to generalize one positive or negative aspect of a person to the person's entire performance.

A) Recency syndrome
B) Similarity bias
C) Central tendency
D) Halo effect

Question 62

When using a type of appraisal that requires answers to specific questions, a supervisor might succumb to making ________.

A) gross errors
B) guesstimates
C) random choices
D) biased judgments

Question 63

The primary purpose of holding an appraisal interview should be to

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

Question 64

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

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

Question 65

When uncertain how to answer or when the overall scoring on a test looks undesirable, a supervisor is most likely to make ________.

A) gross errors
B) guesstimates
C) random choices
D) fair judgments

Question 66

Which of the following supervisors best demonstrates prejudice?

A) A supervisor who gives poor ratings to good performers
B) A supervisor who places the most weight on events that have occurred lately
C) A supervisor who generalizes one positive aspect of an employee to his or her entire performance
D) A supervisor who forms preconceived judgments about an employee based on his or her membership in a group

Question 67

Alia, a supervisor, gives Andrew a good rating in his performance appraisal because during the week prior to the appraisal, Andrew was punctual and completed his tasks on time. Alia's appraisal of Andrew can be best explained by

A) hindsight bias.
B) the recency syndrome.
C) the bandwagon effect.
D) proximity bias.

Question 68

Which of the following is true of central tendency as a source of bias in performance appraisals?

A) People are comfortable taking a strong stand at either extreme than on the middle of a scale.
B) This bias causes a supervisor to miss important opportunities to praise or correct employees.
C) It is the tendency to assign similar scores to items that are near each other on a questionnaire.
D) Supervisors with this bias rate their employees more favorably than their performance merits.

Question 69

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 70

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

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

Question 71

Which of the following supervisors best demonstrates harshness bias?

A) A supervisor who gives poor ratings to good performers
B) A supervisor who focuses on events that have occurred lately
C) A supervisor who generalizes one positive aspect of an employee to the employee's entire performance
D) A supervisor who forms preconceived judgments about an employee based on the employee's membership in a group

Question 72

Which stage of the appraisal process occurs in an interview between supervisor and employee?

A) The stage at which a supervisor reinforces performance or provides remedies
B) The stage at which a supervisor establishes and communicates standards for measuring performance
C) The stage at which a supervisor establishes and communicates expectations for performance
D) The stage at which a supervisor observes and measures individual performance against standards

Question 73

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

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

Question 74

Jeff, a supervisor, learns that his subordinate, Javier, supports a football team that he likes. He also learns that they both like listening to the same genre of music. During an appraisal, these factors heavily influence Jeff's assessment of Javier. This scenario is an example of

A) hindsight bias.
B) similarity bias.
C) confirmation bias.
D) proximity bias.

Question 75

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) The graphic rating scale method

Question 76

In the context of conducting an appraisal interview, a 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 77

Sarah 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. In this case, Sarah's ________ is affecting the appraisal process.

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

Question 78

While rating Lucy on her characteristics, Divya tends to assign similar rating scores for each of her traits. Divya gives Lucy similar rating scores because she does not want to deviate from the first rating score she assigned at the beginning of the appraisal. This is an example of

A) the halo effect.
B) proximity bias.
C) hindsight bias.
D) similarity bias.

Question 79

Rachel gives Karen a good rating in a performance appraisal because Karen once handled a difficult customer by empathizing with him. Since that incident, Rachel believes that Karen is the smartest and most efficient employee in the organization. Even though Karen has multiple positive attributes to her personality, Rachel makes an overall impression of Karen based on her quality of empathy. This is an example of the

A) bandwagon effect.
B) contrast effect.
C) halo effect.
D) decoy effect.

Question 80

________ refers to the human tendency to place the most weight on events that have occurred lately.

A) Recency syndrome
B) Proximity bias
C) Halo effect
D) Central tendency