Deck 8: Performance Management and the Employee Appraisal Process

Question 1

Managers need to constantly engage in a dialogue with their subordinates.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Criterion deficiency occurs when performance standards have not been properly established and communicated to the employee.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In most instances,one person can easily observe and evaluate an employee's performance.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Managers may deflate performance ratings to make themselves look good as managers.

Question 5

Employees should be given a written copy of their job standards in advance of their performance evaluations.

Question 6

Developmental purposes for performance appraisal include evaluating goal achievement and validating selection criteria.

Question 7

​Performance evaluations are simply a logical extension of the day-to-day performance management process.

Question 8

Developmental purposes for performance appraisal include identifying strengths and weaknesses and improving communication.

Question 9

Developmental purposes for performance appraisal include evaluating training programs and determining promotion candidates.

Question 10

​The two most common purposes of performance management programs are administrative and developmental.

Question 11

An appeals process is only necessary for administrative appraisals.

Question 12

Performance management programs can be used for many purposes,including promotions,transfers,layoffs,and pay decisions.

Question 13

The federal government began evaluating employees in 1842.

Question 14

The HR department rarely has the primary responsibility for overseeing and coordinating a firm's performance management system.

Question 15

Studies have shown that employees who earn performance-based pay are more satisfied.

Question 16

Criterion contamination occurs when factors outside an employee's control influence his or her performance.

Question 17

According to a Supreme Court ruling,performance appraisals are subject to the same validity criteria as selection procedures.

Question 18

Most performance appraisals focus on long-term improvement,rather than short-term achievements.

Question 19

​Criterion contamination occurs when different supervisors have different and inconsistent ratings of an employee's performance.

Question 20

Criterion deficiency occurs when performance standards focus on a single criterion and exclude other important but less quantifiable performance dimensions.

Question 21

Subordinate evaluations are useful for rating on dimensions such as leadership ability,ability to delegate,and employee supportiveness.

Question 22

A distributional rating error occurs when a single rating is skewed toward an entire group of employees.

Question 23

Feedback training for raters should include communicating effectively,diagnosing causes of performance problems,and setting goals.

Question 24

An error of central tendency is a performance-rating error in which all employees are more or less rated as average.

Question 25

Reliability refers to the stability or consistency of a standard.

Question 26

One disadvantage of peer evaluations is the belief that they contain more biases and furnish less valid information than appraisals by superiors.

Question 27

Contrast errors are most likely when raters are required to rank employees in order from the best to the poorest.

Question 28

Criterion deficiency refers to the extent to which the standards of an appraisal relate to the strategic objectives of the organization in which they are applied.

Question 29

Internal customers can provide extremely useful feedback for both developmental and administrative purposes.

Question 30

Self-evaluations are often best used for developmental purposes rather than for administrative decisions.

Question 31

Requiring raters to use a forced distribution reduces the chance of leniency or strictness errors.

Question 32

A similar-to-me error occurs when appraisers inflate the evaluations of people with whom they have something in common.

Question 33

Self-evaluations should be used primarily for administrative purposes.

Question 34

Having appraisals reviewed by a supervisor's supervisor creates unnecessary redundancy and may actually result in greater legal liability.

Question 35

Team evaluations are conceptually just a collection of the individual appraisals of a work unit.

Question 36

It is unrealistic to presume that one person can fully observe and evaluate an employee's performance.

Question 37

Subordinate evaluations should be used primarily for developmental purposes.

Question 38

A similar-to-me error,like contrast,results in less than accurate performance ratings,but would not be considered discriminatory.

Question 39

A recency error is an error in which the appraisal is based largely upon the employee's most recent behavior as opposed to their behavior throughout the entire appraisal period.

Question 40

Results-oriented approaches have become more popular because they focus on the measurable contributions that employees make to an organization.

Question 41

One of the benefits of the forced-choice method is the relatively small cost of establishing and maintaining its validity.

Question 42

Dividing the performance evaluation meeting into two sessions,one for the performance review and the other for the employee's growth plans,is a good strategy to improve communication between the parties.

Question 43

Graphic rating scales include sets of statements between which the rater must choose,such as "works hard" vs."works quickly."

Question 44

The forced-choice method of appraisal is less effective as a tool for developing employees.

Question 45

One major advantage of a behaviorally anchored rating scale is that it is possible to use a scale developed for one job to appraise individuals in another,unrelated job.

Question 46

Behavior observation scales have rater check statements that they believe are characteristic of the employee.

Question 47

The Balanced Scorecard evaluation method translates broad corporate goals into divisional,departmental,team,and individual goals in a cascading way.

Question 48

The problem-solving format seeks to obtain an employee's buy-in for a mutually agreed-upon way to overcome obstacles and improve the person's actual performance.

Question 49

A major drawback of the essay method is that composing an essay that attempts to cover all of an employee's essential characteristics is very time-consuming.

Question 50

​The mixed-standard scale method evaluates traits according to a single scale.

Question 51

​Behavioral methods specifically describe which actions should (or should not)be exhibited on the job.

Question 52

The three basic types of formats for providing feedback during a performance evaluation meeting are tell-and-sell,tell-and-listen,and problem-solving.

Question 53

​A self-evaluation ensures that an employee knows against what criteria he or she is being evaluated,eliminating any potential surprises.

Question 54

The choice of performance evaluation method to use depends upon the purpose of the evaluation.

Question 55

Because the appraisal interview is for developmental purposes,the interviewer rather than the employee should spend the majority of the time talking.

Question 56

The effectiveness of the essay method is affected by the rater's writing skills.

Question 57

Results evaluations often give employees responsibility for their outcomes and discretion over the way they accomplish them.

Question 58

One of the potential drawbacks of a trait-oriented performance appraisal is that traits can be biased and subjective.

Question 59

The Balanced Scorecard approach integrates four categories: financial,customer,process,and learning measures.

Question 60

Measurable and quantifiable performance objectives are requirements for a successful MBO program.

Question 61

One study showed that organizations with strong performance management systems are ____ more likely to outperform their competitors in the areas of revenue growth,productivity,profitability,and market value

A)10-15 percent
B)20-30 percent
C)40-50 percent
D)80-90 percent

Question 62

Self-evaluations are often best used for administrative decisions rather than developmental purposes.

Question 63

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the trait method of appraisals?

A)Inexpensive to develop
B)Uses meaningful dimensions
C)Low potential for rating errors
D)Easy to use

Question 64

Administrative purposes of performance appraisal include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)determining promotion candidates.
B)evaluating training programs.
C)documenting personnel decisions.
D)providing performance feedback.

Question 65

Developmental purposes of performance appraisal include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)recognizing individual performance.
B)validating selection procedures.
C)improving communication.
D)identifying strengths and weaknesses.

Question 66

Performance discussions should focus on the employee rather than on his or her behaviors.

Question 67

​If an employee is doing something wrong,waiting for a formal evaluation later in the year to communicate that information is an example of a balanced approach to effective communication.

Question 68

A problem with performance appraisal is that it:

A)tends to be objective and consistent.
B)identifies weaknesses of employees as well as strengths.
C)tends to focus on short-term objectives rather than long-term learning.
D)tends to be a bottom-up process.

Question 69

A person's performance is a function of ability,environment,and motivation.

Question 70

A diagnosis of poor employee performance should focus on the three interactive elements of ability,motivation,and external conditions.

Question 71

Expressing appreciation for the work an employee has done well is likely to make the person more defensive about aspects of the job that are not going so well.

Question 72

If a manager rates an employee higher than he or she deserves in order to look good as a manager in the eyes of his or her own superiors,this is an example of:

A)criterion deficiency.
B)organizational politics.
C)criterion contamination.
D)administrative appraisal purpose.

Question 73

The federal government began evaluating employees in 1842,when Congress passed a law mandating yearly performance review for:

A)departmental clerks.
B)military personnel.
C)postal employees.
D)all federal employees.

Question 74

The two primary purposes of performance appraisals are:

A)informative and developmental.
B)managerial and administrative.
C)managerial and informative.
D)administrative and developmental.

Question 75

Since praise is a powerful motivator,appraisers should alternate positive and negative statements during a performance appraisal interview.

Question 76

The "horn error" is the opposite of the "halo effect."

Question 77

In _____,the U.S.Supreme Court found that employees had been ranked against a vague standard,open to each supervisor's own interpretation.

A)California Board of Regents v. Bakke
B)Griggs v. Duke Power Co.
C)Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody
D)Brito v. Zia

Question 78

The strategic relevance of performance appraisals refers to the extent to which:

A)standards relate to the overall objectives of the organization.
B)standards capture the entire range of an employee's responsibilities.
C)individuals tend to maintain a certain level of performance over time.
D)factors outside the employee's control can influence performance.

Question 79

​Which of the following is NOT a reason for the failure of appraisal programs?

A)They discourage teamwork by focusing on workers' individual achievements.
B)They lay more focus on employee input into the development of the appraisal program.
C)They are not useful for the majority of employees in the middle in terms of performance.
D)They often focus on short-term achievements rather than long-term improvement and learning.

Question 80

Freedom from criterion deficiency of performance appraisals refers to the extent to which:

A)standards relate to the overall objectives of the organization.
B)standards capture the entire range of an employee's responsibilities.
C)individuals tend to maintain a certain level of performance over time.
D)factors outside the employee's control can influence performance.