Deck 15: Providing Formal and Informal Performance Feedback

Question 1

The type of feedback most appropriate to assist underperforming employees to bring their performance up to the required standard is:

A) constructive feedback
B) negative feedback
C) corrective feedback
D) general feedback
E) no feedback at all; this allows the employee to self-correct their performance.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is the correct approach when conducting performance reviews?

A) As much as possible, use intuition and gut feelings to judge performance.
B) Recognise good performance and review any areas of concern.
C) Apply different standards to rate employees doing the same job who have different levels performance.
D) Use an employee's length of service to gauge the standard of performance they should have achieved.
E) Conduct one performance review after another in quick succession so that the reviews are carried out more efficiently and in one block.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following does not entail the end of an employee's employment with an organisation?

A) Termination
B) Redundancy
C) Retrenchment
D) Demotion
E) None of these responses are correct.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The ultimate goal of feedback is to provide employees with an understanding of the standard of behaviour and performance required of them, so that they are able to monitor their own performance and provide meaningful and accurate self-feedback.

Question 5

Which of the following is not a commonly accepted use of performance reviews?

A) To criticise and punish employees for poor performance
B) To plan improvements in an employee's performance and productivity
C) As the final stage in the selection process for newly hired employees who have been on probation
D) To look at what results are expected and any training and development that is required in the future
E) To review a job-holder's performance during the period under review

Question 6

Ideally, to enhance credibility and acceptance, performance reviews should be conducted with:

A) only employees.
B) employees and supervisors.
C) employees, supervisors and frontline managers.
D) employees, supervisors, frontline managers and middle managers.
E) everyone in an organisation.

Question 7

Which of the following approaches to providing feedback to employees is likely to prove most effective with assisting employees to improve their performance?

A) One annual formal performance review
B) Two formal performance reviews per year
C) One annual or two six-monthly formal performance reviews, and occasional feedback of about 10 minutes every few months
D) One annual or two six-monthly formal performance reviews, and regular feedback of about 10 minutes every few weeks, or when an aspect of employee performance deserves recognition or requires improvement
E) One annual or six-monthly formal performance review, and daily feedback of 30 minutes

Question 8

Which of the following is not a direct benefit to organisations of conducting effective performance reviews?

A) They can be used by organisations to help shift their organisational culture by encouraging and acknowledging behaviours that reflect their values.
B) They can provide employees with a greater sense of job satisfaction when their efforts are recognised and appreciated.
C) Frequent reviews can assist in helping to retain staff members.
D) They open up communication channels and strengthen working relationships.
E) They can be used to place people in jobs that suit their capabilities.

Question 9

A performance review method where team members review one another's performance against key criteria is known as the:

A) balanced scorecard method.
B) management by objectives method.
C) peer review method.
D) rating scale method.
E) role description method.

Question 10

Which of the following is not a stage in an employee's performance review?

A) Creating the right climate
B) Review of performance
C) Review of the organisation's strategic goals
D) Planning for the future
E) Final summary

Question 11

Regular informal feedback, in words and actions, about how employees are performing can:

A) build employee morale.
B) increase employee motivation.
C) help to focus employees' attention on what is important.
D) help to ensure that work standards are maintained.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 12

'The fact that you have achieved all of your targets this month is testament to your perseverance and hard work.' This statement is an example of:

A) constructive feedback.
B) negative feedback.
C) corrective feedback.
D) positive feedback.
E) general feedback.

Question 13

When an employee has performed either better or worse than expected in some areas, or is generally improving or declining, their performance review is the first situation where this should be brought to their attention.

Question 14

A redundancy usually comes about as a result of:

A) a lack of sufficient work to keep employees fully occupied.
B) organisational restructuring or outsourcing.
C) poor employee performance.
D) recession.
E) serious breaches of organisational policy.

Question 15

Where an employee's performance has been poor or below the standard expected of them, the manager conducting their performance review should:

A) tell them straight out that their recent performance indicates they are a poor worker and that they will most likely lose their job.
B) avoid these performance issues, and instead focus on the positives of the employee's performance.
C) objectively point out the employee's poor performance, and tell them they need to improve.
D) objectively highlight the employee's poor performance, and offer them coaching and/or other development opportunities to correct it.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 16

Ideally, during a performance review:

A) the person conducting the review should do more of the talking.
B) the person being appraised should do more of the talking.
C) the person conducting the review and the person being appraised should do about the same amount of talking.
D) much of the review should be done in silence using documentary evidence of performance.
E) None of these responses are correct.

Question 17

'I understand that delays by suppliers affected your ability to meet your deadlines, so if I can minimise those delays, I'm confident you will be able to submit the invoices for approval by the required dates each month.' This statement is an example of feedback that is both empathetic and positive.

Question 18

Which of the following might provide feedback when using the 360-degree feedback review method?

A) Peers
B) Internal customers
C) Suppliers
D) External customers
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 19

The critical-incident, or behavioural, review method is based on a record of important negative critical incidents that have occurred during the review period.

Question 20

Which of the following is a benefit to employees of effective performance reviews?

A) They provide a mechanism for identifying and meeting workers' training and development needs.
B) They meet employees' desire to know how their manager views their performance.
C) They protect employees from arbitrary decisions.
D) They provide a mechanism for employees to gain a better understanding of their strengths and development needs.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 21

Which of the following actions should a leader-manager avoid when providing constructive feedback to an employee?

A) Providing the feedback in an impartial manner
B) Providing the feedback where it can be heard by the rest of the team, so that everybody gets the message
C) When addressing issues related to behaviour, sticking to facts and factual descriptions of behaviour
D) Only providing feedback on aspects of the employee's performance that the manager can control
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 22

'Your presentation was excellent, particularly the way you demonstrated market trends using charts and graphs.' This statement would best be described an example of:

A) constructive feedback.
B) general feedback.
C) specific feedback.
D) positive general feedback.
E) positive specific feedback.

Question 23

In between your own performance appraisals, you should:

A) keep notes of your successes and achievements.
B) record any difficulties you have experienced.
C) identify the causes of any difficulties you have experienced.
D) think about any issues you want to raise with your manager.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 24

During your own performance appraisal, you should:

A) avoid asking your manager questions, so that you do not appear unprepared or ignorant.
B) contest or argue against any negative feedback that is provided in relation to your performance.
C) never ask your manager for help, as this will indicate that you are not competent to do your job.
D) where necessary, ask your manager for examples to clarify the feedback that has been provided.
E) not provide feedback of your own, as this will be interpreted as complaining.

Question 25

'You have messed it up again. You are such a dill.' Which of the following is true in relation to this piece of feedback?

A) It is negative and general, and should be avoided completely.
B) It is negative and general, but would be acceptable if provided in a light-hearted manner.
C) It is negative but constructive, and so would be an acceptable way to address underperformance.
D) It is negative but corrective, and so would be an acceptable way to address underperformance.
E) It is negative, but would be acceptable if it was more specific.

Question 26

Which of the following feedback approaches would be acceptable, in the right circumstances?

A) Keep doing these helpful things; stop doing these unhelpful things; and start doing these things.
B) Do more of these actions; do less of these actions; and behave and carry on practices the same as this one.
C) 'A very engaging presentation, although a little more detail on the importance of good housekeeping would have been good. Overall, though, very well done.'
D) Applying the hot-stove principle to skilled and experienced employees who 'know better'.
E) All of these responses are correct.

Question 27

Intermittent feedback that is delivered either irregularly or randomly, but that is positive and specific, can be the most effective form of feedback provided that people are already doing a good job.

Question 28

Of the following, which would be the best way to begin giving feedback to an employee?

A) 'You haven't been able to…'
B) 'I didn't like the way you…'
C) 'You continue to let down your team…'
D) 'If you spend a more time on each submission, you should be able to…'
E) 'I'm not sure you even understand the serious problem you have created.'

Question 29

Providing negative feedback to employees can be appropriate, as long as it is specific and either corrective or constructive.

Question 30

Criticism that is neither constructive nor corrective can not only cause resentment and damage relationships with employees, but also increase stress levels to the extent that creativity, memory, planning, thinking and other mental functions shut down and actually cause performance to worsen.