Deck 8: Performance and Talent Management

Question 1

Which of the following is LEAST likely to occur during performance appraisal?

A)setting work standards
B)providing employee feedback
C)initiating job enlargement procedures
D)comparing employee performance to standards

Answer 1

C
Explanation:C)Stripped to its essentials,performance appraisal always involves (1)setting work standards, (2)assessing the employee's actual performance relative to those standards,and (3)providing feedback to the employee with the aim of helping him or her to eliminate performance deficiencies or to continue to perform above par.Job enlargement is not an element of performance appraisals.

Question 2

All of the following are reasons for appraising an employee's performance EXCEPT ________.

A)assisting with career planning
B)making decisions about promotions
C)creating an organizational strategy map
D)determining appropriate salary and bonuses

Answer 2

C
Explanation:C)Most employers still base pay and promotional decisions on the employee's appraisal.Appraisals also let the boss and subordinate develop a career plan.Creating a strategy map is not a likely purpose for conducting a performance appraisal.

Question 3

At Dixon Consulting,employees are allowed to rate themselves for performance appraisals.Which of the following is the most likely result?

A)Interrater reliability is higher.
B)Appraisals are subject to halo effects.
C)Ratings are higher than when supervisors give ratings.
D)Ratings are about the same as when determined by peers.

Answer 3

C
Explanation:C)The basic problem with self-ratings is that employees usually rate themselves higher than do their supervisors or peers.One study found that,when asked to rate their own job performances,40% of employees in jobs of all types placed themselves in the top 10%,and virtually all remaining employees rated themselves at least in the top 50%.

Question 4

Upward feedback primarily helps top-level managers to ________.

A)implement organizational strategies
B)compare appraisal techniques
C)diagnose management styles
D)document critical incidents

Question 5

Which of the following terms refers to a performance appraisal based on surveys from peers,supervisors,subordinates,and customers?

A)committee rating
B)team appraisal
C)upward feedback
D)360-degree feedback

Question 6

In order to be the most effective,the performance management process should occur ________.

A)occasionally
B)continuously
C)periodically
D)annually

Question 7

In most organizations,which of the following is primarily responsible for appraising an employee's performance?

A)employee's direct supervisor
B)human resources manager
C)EEO representative
D)employee's peers

Question 8

Which term refers to the continuous process of identifying,measuring,and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning their performance with the organization's goals?

A)organizational development
B)performance management
C)strategic management
D)performance appraisal

Question 9

SMART goals are best described as ________.

A)specific,measurable,attainable,relevant,and timely
B)strategic,moderate,achievable,relevant,and timely
C)specific,measurable,achievable,relevant,and tested
D)straightforward,meaningful,accessible,real,and tested

Question 10

Crowd-sourcing recognition and appraisal software tools enable employers to gather comments from ________ for employee performance appraisals.

A)supervisors
B)co-workers
C)suppliers
D)customers

Question 11

What is a benefit of using rating committees for performance appraisals?

A)improve managerial performance
B)rank employees on a scale
C)minimize rater bias
D)align assessments

Question 12

According to the text,Ball Corporation improved production by ________.

A)assigning work teams daily performance goals
B)giving applicants valid selection tests
C)encouraging employee referrals
D)using online training programs

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT one of the recommended guidelines for setting effective employee goals?

A)assigning specific goals
B)assigning measurable goals
C)administering consequences for poor performance
D)encouraging employees to participate in setting goals

Question 14

Peer appraisals have been shown to result in a ________.

A)reduction of social loafing
B)reduction of group cohesion
C)decrease in satisfaction with the group
D)tendency to inaccurately predict promotions

Question 15

Laurie received a performance appraisal from her immediate supervisor and three other supervisors at MJX Enterprises.Which of the following performance appraisal methods is most likely used by MJX Enterprises?

A)rating committee
B)peer appraisal
C)360-degree feedback
D)self-rating

Question 16

Setting work standards,assessing an employee's performance against those standards,and providing employee feedback are the three steps of the ________.

A)orientation process
B)development analysis
C)ratio analysis method
D)performance appraisal cycle

Question 17

At M&M Enterprises,subordinates rate supervisor performances anonymously.Which of the following refers to the process used at M&M?

A)downward feedback
B)upward feedback
C)paired evaluation
D)peer evaluation

Question 18

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be used by firms as an alternative source of performance appraisal information?

A)peers
B)rating committees
C)the employee
D)outside experts

Question 19

The process of evaluating an employee's current and/or past performance relative to his or her performance standards is called ________.

A)recruitment
B)employee selection
C)performance appraisal
D)organizational development

Question 20

When subordinates provide feedback for supervisors,the comments should be anonymous because identifiable responses tend to result in a higher incidence of ________.

A)critical responses
B)negative attitudes
C)inflated ratings
D)contradictory statements

Question 21

Which of the following is one of the primary complaints regarding the use of the forced distribution method for performance appraisals?

A)harm to employee morale
B)high cost of administration
C)standardization of group sizes
D)time consuming to administer

Question 22

Which performance appraisal method involves distinguishing between the worst and best employees based on a trait or traits?

A)alternation ranking
B)graphic rating scale
C)forced distribution
D)constant sum rating scale

Question 23

All of the following are ways to improve 360-degree appraisals EXCEPT by ________.

A)basing the 360-degree items on behavioral competencies
B)training the people giving and receiving feedback
C)using a Web-based system to reduce costs
D)encouraging informal ratings

Question 24

In order to ensure that performance goals are challenging and relevant,Matthew,a marketing manager,should independently set goals for his subordinates because participatively set goals usually produce lower job performance.

Question 25

Studies suggest that managers who receive upward feedback from identified subordinates view the upward appraisal process more negatively than do managers who receive anonymous upward feedback.

Question 26

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using upward feedback?

Question 27

Which performance appraisal technique lists traits and a range of performance for each?

A)alternation ranking
B)graphic rating scale
C)paired comparison
D)constant sum rating scale

Question 28

John,the supervisor of the manufacturing department,is in the process of evaluating his staff's performance.He has determined that 15% of the group will be identified as high performers,20% as above-average performers,30% as average performers,20% as below-average performers,and 15% as poor performers.John is using a ________ method.

A)graphic rating scale
B)constant sum ranking scale
C)forced distribution
D)alternation ranking

Question 29

Why is it important for a manager to appraise a subordinate's performance? How can a manager handle a subordinate who is defensive when told that his or her performance is poor?

Question 30

Which of the following is LEAST likely to protect employers against bias claims stemming from the use of the forced distribution method?

A)appointing a committee to review low rankings
B)basing scores on industry standards
C)training raters to be objective
D)using multiple raters

Question 31

What is the main difference between a performance appraisal and performance management?

Question 32

What are the main steps in the performance appraisal process? What advice would you give to a supervisor who was about to conduct an appraisal interview?

Question 33

Which performance appraisal tool involves a supervisor maintaining a log of positive and negative examples of a subordinate's work-related behavior?

A)alternation ranking
B)constant sums rating
C)narrative forms
D)critical incident

Question 34

What guidelines should supervisors follow to hold effective and legally defensible appraisals? How can rating committees improve the fairness of the appraisal process?

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the critical incident method for performance appraisal?

A)providing examples of excellent work performance
B)comparing and ranking employees within a group
C)connecting specific incidents with performance goals
D)compiling examples of ineffective work performance

Question 36

Wilson Consulting is a management consulting firm with seventy employees.As associate vice president of marketing,Suzanne Boyle is responsible for conducting performance appraisals of the twelve employees under her direct supervision.Suzanne plans to use a graphic rating scale to evaluate the performance of her subordinates. Which of the following,if true,best supports the argument that a graphic rating scale is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Suzanne to use?

A)Employees in Suzanne's department who are categorized in the bottom 10% of the firm's employees will be immediately dismissed.
B)Suzanne wants to ensure that the firm is protected from employee discrimination lawsuits,so she has conducted a job analysis of each position.
C)Suzanne wants a quantitative rating of each employee based on competencies important to the firm,such as problem-solving skills.
D)Employees in Suzanne's department participated in developing their own performance standards when they were first hired by the firm.

Question 37

Which performance appraisal tool is being used by a supervisor who places predetermined percentages of rates into various performance categories?

A)graphic ranking scale
B)alternation ranking
C)forced distribution
D)paired comparison

Question 38

What is the purpose of performance appraisals? Who do you think should conduct performance appraisals? Why?

Question 39

Suppose you have five employees to rate.You make a chart of all possible pairs of employees for each trait being evaluated.Then,you indicate the better employee of the pair for each pair.Finally,you add up the number of positives for each employee.In this case,you have used the ________ method of performance appraisal.

A)graphic ranking scale
B)alternation ranking
C)paired comparison
D)forced distribution

Question 40

360-degree feedback is usually used for developmental purposes rather than pay purposes.

Question 41

The forced distribution method is known as the "rank and yank"method.

Question 42

A firm involved in actively managing employees would most likely ________.

A)focus attention on mission-critical employees
B)conduct annual performance appraisals
C)allocate rewards to all employees
D)provide training as-needed

Question 43

The critical incident method requires supervisors to keep a running list of incidents as examples of a subordinate's work-related behavior.

Question 44

Which appraisal method combines the benefits of narratives,critical incidents,and quantified scales by assigning scale points with specific examples of good or poor performance?

A)behaviorally anchored rating scale
B)graphic rating scale
C)alternation ranking
D)forced distribution

Question 45

What is the first step in the MBO method of performance appraisal?

A)setting the organization's goals
B)setting departmental goals
C)conducting employee reviews
D)defining expected results

Question 46

Wilson Consulting is a management consulting firm with seventy employees.As associate vice president of marketing,Suzanne Boyle is responsible for conducting performance appraisals of the twelve employees under her direct supervision.Suzanne plans to use the critical incident method to evaluate the performance of her subordinates. Which of the following,if true,undermines the argument that the critical incident method is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Suzanne to use?

A)Other departments at Wilson Consulting have seen employee performance improve as a result of providing ongoing evaluations.
B)Due to economic difficulties,the firm will be laying off the two lowest-performing employees in Suzanne's department.
C)Employee performance standards are closely aligned with Wilson Consulting's long-term strategic plans.
D)Suzanne will be conducting performance appraisals in conjunction with the HR manager to ensure EEO compliance.

Question 47

According to the text,Tesco PLC organizes employees by their personal and professional goals for motivation and communication purposes.Tesco PLC most likely uses ________.

A)succession planning
B)survey feedback
C)segmentation
D)orientation

Question 48

Although management by objectives cannot be used as a primary performance appraisal tool,it is useful as a supplement to the graphic rating method.

Question 49

Wilson Consulting is a management consulting firm with seventy employees.As associate vice president of marketing,Suzanne Boyle is responsible for conducting performance appraisals of the twelve employees under her direct supervision.Suzanne plans to use the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)to evaluate the performance of her subordinates. Which of the following,if true,supports the argument that BARS is the most appropriate performance appraisal tool for Suzanne to use?

A)Wilson Consulting provides training to all supervisors regarding legally defensible performance appraisals.
B)Suzanne provides her subordinates with upward feedback as a way to illustrate the ratings she assigns to each employee.
C)Wilson Consulting recently installed an electronic performance monitoring system to help supervisors conduct appraisals.
D)Suzanne wants to provide her subordinates with specific examples of their good and poor job performance during the appraisal interview.

Question 50

Paired comparison is a rating approach that involves keeping a record of uncommonly good or undesirable examples of an employee's work-related behavior and reviewing it with the employee at predetermined times.

Question 51

According to the text,Accenture employees who are identified as high-performing and mission-critical will most likely ________.

A)transfer overseas
B)attend orientation sessions
C)earn stock options and awards
D)receive development opportunities

Question 52

Nick supervises a team of data entry specialists.Lately,productivity has been down,and Nick believes his subordinates are not working as efficiently as possible.Which of the following tools would provide Nick with daily information about each employee's rate,accuracy,and time spent entering data?

A)computerized performance appraisal system
B)electronic performance monitoring system
C)Web-based management oversight device
D)digital dashboard device

Question 53

Shell China managers meet regularly with the firm's emerging leaders to help them set goals and obtain appropriate development opportunities.Shell China is most likely engaged in ________.

A)organizational development
B)active management
C)goal alignment
D)diversification

Question 54

Which of the following best describes a behaviorally anchored rating scale?

A)chart of paired subordinates ranked in order of performance
B)combination of narrative critical incidents and quantified performance scales
C)predetermined percentages of subordinates in various performance categories
D)list of subordinates from highest to lowest based on specific performance traits

Question 55

Which of the following is similar to a professor grading on a curve?

A)forced distribution method
B)paired comparison method
C)BARS method
D)critical incident method

Question 56

Which of the following is a benefit of using computerized or Web-based performance appraisal systems?

A)providing training for new employees
B)helping managers to determine sales activities
C)allowing employees to perform self-evaluations
D)enabling managers to monitor employees' computers

Question 57

It is most important that supervisors who choose management by objectives as a performance appraisal tool use ________.

A)BARS-based techniques
B)graphic rating scales
C)SMART goals
D)EPM systems

Question 58

Which of the following enables supervisors to oversee the amount of computerized data an employee is processing each day?

A)online management assessment center
B)digitized high-performance work center
C)electronic performance monitoring system
D)computerized performance appraisal system

Question 59

Which of the following terms refers to setting specific measurable goals with each employee and then periodically reviewing the progress made?

A)behaviorally anchored rating scale
B)management by objectives
C)narrative form technique
D)forced distribution

Question 60

Supervisors at Sun Microsystems use the forced distribution method to evaluate performance,so they must ensure that the proportions in each category are symmetrical.

Question 61

A supervisor who frequently rates all employees as average on performance appraisals most likely has a problem known as ________.

A)stereotyping
B)central tendency
C)halo effect
D)leniency

Question 62

When conducting an appraisal interview,supervisors should do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)create an action plan
B)discuss objective work data
C)give specific examples of poor performance
D)compare the person's performance to that of other employees

Question 63

As a supervisor,which of the following is the best way for you to correct a performance appraisal problem that is primarily linked to unclear standards?

A)allowing employees to rate themselves first
B)using descriptive phrases to illustrate traits
C)avoiding the use of extremely low ratings
D)using graphic rating scales to rank employees

Question 64

Employee Appraiser,a computerized appraisal tool,provides numerous evaluation dimensions that can be used when conducting a performance appraisal.

Question 65

The best method for reducing the problems of leniency or strictness in performance appraisals is to ________.

A)reconsider the timing of the appraisal
B)require multiple appraisals
C)keep critical incident logs
D)rank employees

Question 66

The best way of reducing the problem of central tendency in performance appraisals is to ________.

A)rank employees
B)establish SMART goals
C)use graphic rating scales
D)limit the number of appraisals

Question 67

Explain how an MBO program works and describe the six steps involved in this type of program.

Question 68

Most appraisal forms used in the workplace are a combination of several different appraisal methods.

Question 69

Jason is generally considered unfriendly at work,although he performs the tasks of his job very well.His supervisor rates him low on the trait "gets along well with others"and also rates him low on standards not related to socialization at work.Jason's performance appraisal may be unfair due to ________.

A)impression management
B)stereotyping
C)halo effect
D)strictness

Question 70

Which of the following is a performance appraisal problem that occurs when a supervisor's rating of a subordinate on one trait biases the rating of that person on other traits?

A)halo effect
B)stereotyping
C)recency effect
D)central tendency

Question 71

The primary advantage of the alternation ranking method is its simplicity,but central tendency is a common problem with the method.

Question 72

Which of the following best describes the purpose of an appraisal interview?

A)making plans to correct employee weaknesses
B)discussing and scheduling training programs
C)providing upward feedback to supervisors
D)training supervisors in the rating process

Question 73

The ________ problem occurs when supervisors tend to rate all their subordinates consistently low.

A)central tendency
B)leniency
C)strictness
D)bias

Question 74

When a supervisor must criticize a subordinate in an appraisal interview,it is best to ________.

A)hold the meeting with co-workers who can document the situation
B)provide specific examples of critical incidents
C)acknowledge the supervisor's personal biases
D)limit negative feedback to once every year

Question 75

Both graphic rating scales and MBO appraisals judge the performance of employees relative to each other based on objective criteria.

Question 76

Which performance appraisal problem is associated with supervisors giving all of their subordinates consistently high ratings?

A)leniency
B)strictness
C)central tendency
D)halo effect

Question 77

What is the most likely problem with an appraisal that is too open to interpretation?

A)bias
B)leniency
C)halo effect
D)unclear standards

Question 78

What is the forced distribution method? What potential problems are associated with the forced distribution method?

Question 79

Sam supervises a team of data entry clerks at Geico.The firm's electronic performance monitoring system enables Sam to electronically monitor the amount of computerized data an employee processes each day.

Question 80

Research indicates that electronic performance monitoring improves productivity and lowers employee stress levels.