Deck 7: Performance Management and Appraisal

Question 1

When using the behavioral observation scales (BOS),a manager will consider at what frequency a behavior occurs.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

MBO is most effective when goals are set by the manager at a level that the employees believe is not attainable because that will motivate the employee to work harder.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Representativeness refers to the tendency to insufficiently alter a judgment away from some starting point when new information is received.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Because of the perception of fairness that results from the use of forced distribution in performance appraisals,this method has been well received not only by employees being rated,but also by managers conducting the appraisal.

Question 5

The bias displayed by managers when conducting performance appraisals is unintentional and cannot be corrected through training.

Question 6

Performance refers to the traits,personal characteristics,or competencies of the employee.

Question 7

Ratings of frequency are better than ratings of intensity.

Question 8

Paired comparisons,straight ranking,and forced distribution are appraisal systems that require raters to make comparisons among ratees according to some measure of effectiveness or simply overall effectiveness.

Question 9

A "qualified" rater includes an internal or external customer who is the recipient of the performers' products or services.

Question 10

Providing training for managers is a means to reduce bias in performance appraisals.

Question 11

Graphic rating scales are the most widely used type of rating format.

Question 12

The greater the specificity in the content of the appraisal,assuming the content is compatible with the strategic goals of the organization,the more effective the appraisal system.

Question 13

BARS are graphic scales with specific behavioral descriptions defining various points along the scale for each dimension.

Question 14

Benchmarking is the process of gauging the internal practices and activities within a firm to an external reference or standard.

Question 15

The ProMES method of performance appraisal is effective when management wants to build a sense of ownership and empowerment for their employees.

Question 16

Appraisal cannot be person-oriented.

Question 17

Appraisal data cannot be used to determine the effectiveness of human resource programs.

Question 18

The more precise the definition and measurement of performance,the more difficult it becomes for a manager to effectively and fairly appraise performance.

Question 19

The use of 360-degree appraisal systems is a high-performance work practice.

Question 20

Graphic rating scales such as BARS and MBO help identify whether or not the ratee's performance matches the anchor.

Question 21

In a department where there are clearly defined and measurable performance standards,the performance appraisal method that would work well for a manager who is independently reviewing a department of 15 people to identify who will and will not be eligible for a bonus would be:

A)Paired comparisons
B)Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)
C)Management by objectives (MBO)
D)Forced choice
E)Behavioral Observation Scales

Question 22

Which of the following categories of performance outcomes have been identified as being generally applicable to all jobs?

A)quality, quantity, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, dependability
B) quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, need for supervision, integrity
C)timeliness, cost-effectiveness, need for supervision, interpersonal impact, loyalty
D)quality, quantity, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, need for supervision, interpersonal impact
E)quantity, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, motivation, interpersonal impact

Question 23

Performance appraisals should be focused on the past and managers should not waste time in discussion of the employee's career aspirations.

Question 24

Joy and her manager agreed in January that in order to be ready to take on a new group project in June,Joy should complete a class that would certify her in project planning.Both Joy and her manager agreed that 6 months was a reasonable time frame for completing this course,and earning the certification.How Joy is rated at the end of the review period,if she is not able to attend the training by June will depend on if her manager believes that there ______ that did not allow Joy to complete the objective.

A)was a lack of utility
B) should have been BOS
C)were situational constraints
D)was a central tendency effect
E)were anchoring effects

Question 25

Each of the following is legally desirable regarding performance appraisal procedures EXCEPT:

A)Providing a formal appeal process.
B)Outlining specific, objective performance standards.
C)Providing written instructions for raters to follow.
D)Training raters on rating errors and EEO laws.
E)Adapting procedures to meet unique requirements of employees of different races.

Question 26

Company XYZ had a corporate goal to improve the quality of the products they produced.Employees in the company had personal performance objectives that were associated with quality improvements.If the quality improvement objectives were not met because of faulty raw materials purchased from a new vendor,which of the following would be true?

A)The poor materials from the vendor should be considered a situational constraint when appraising the performance of the purchasing manager.
B)Only mangers should have a performance objective that is associated with the corporate goal to increase quality, not individuals responsible for production.
C)Employees should be concerned that the poor quality of the raw materials will cause the managers to be influenced by the central tendency effect.
D)When appraising the performance of an employee on the production line, the poor quality materials should be considered a situational constraint on their ability to meet quality standards.
E)Employees being rated will have a tendency to overestimate the effects of the poor quality materials on their ability to perform as compared to their managers, who will underestimate the effect.

Question 27

The forced choice methodology has effectively reduced intentional bias,and is a method that has broad acceptance from managers/raters.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about MBO is FALSE?

A)It compares quantifiable target goals with actual results achieved by an employee.
B) It has been shown to be useful for defining individual or unit performance related to strategic plans.
C)It is recommended as a method for comparing people or units.
D)It is a popular method of managerial appraisal.
E)It may be effective approach to motivating and improving employee performance.

Question 29

Employees and managers are concerned with the lack of effectiveness of performance appraisals.There is no time to conduct performance management training for managers,or develop a BARS.One method that could be considered is to include multiple raters to derive the rating of performance.

Question 30

Management by Objectives (MBO):

A)Provides brief descriptions of levels of performance.
B) Selects the anchor which is most descriptive of the person being appraised.
C)Requires the rater to indicate how frequently the ratee has performed each of the listed behaviors.
D)Calls for comparison between specific, quantifiable target goals and the actual results achieved by an employee.
E)Makes comparisons among ratees according to some measure of effectiveness or simply overall effectiveness.

Question 31

When planning a feedback session as part of the performance appraisal process,it is important to allow the ratee to share their thoughts and to address career aspirations.

Question 32

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)refer to:

A)Graphic rating scales with specific behavioral descriptions defining various points along the scale for each performance dimension.
B) Comparisons among ratee's performance.
C)A record of outcomes produced on a specified job function during a specified time period.
D)Comparisons between specific, quantifiable target goals and the actual results achieved by an employee.
E)Ratings made in the context of opportunities to perform at a certain level.

Question 33

Each of the following is TRUE regarding Comparisons to Anchors (e.g.,BARS,MBO,graphic rating scales,and summated rating scales)EXCEPT:

A)Method requires rater to compare the employee's performance with specified anchors or descriptors.
B) Method is very useful for providing feedback to employee.
C)Is easy and inexpensive to construct.
D)For the BARs method, actual behaviors are documented.
E)Generally, graphic rating scales use adjectives or numbers as anchors or descriptors.

Question 34

When conducting a 360 degree appraisal it is important to exclude feedback received from internal and external customers.

Question 35

Performance refers to:

A)Brief descriptions of the traits, personal characteristics, or competencies of the performer.
B)A process that requires raters to rank ratees on the basis of quantifiable goals.
C)Efforts to control rating bias by requiring raters to indicate how frequently the ratee has performed listed behaviors.
D)Comparison between specific, quantifiable target goals and the actual results achieved by an employee.
E)Record of outcomes produced on a specified job function or activity during a specified period of time.

Question 36

The rating method for _____ is to have the rater record specific observations of the ratee's performance and then compare those observations to anchors on the rating scale to determine the most valid rating.

A)Straight ranking
B) BARS
C)paired comparison
D)forced distribution
E)MBO

Question 37

All of the following are attempts to control intentional rating errors EXCEPT:

A)using forced distribution or other forms of ratee comparison systems
B) using multirater systems.
C)requiring cross-checks or reviews of ratings by other people
D)training raters how to provide negative evaluation.
E)providing frame-of-reference training.

Question 38

To ensure a legally defensible performance appraisal system,all of the following procedures are recommended EXCEPT:

A)Setting specific performance standards for employees.
B)Having a performance review process for each employee.
C)Making the performance appraisal process different for all employees within a job family.
D)Including a formal appeal process.
E)Using more than one independent evaluator of performance.

Question 39

Each of the following is TRUE regarding Comparisons Among Anchors (e.g.,forced choice)EXCEPT:

A)The method requires rater to make comparisons among anchors for a job activity.
B) The method is designed to reduce intentional rating bias in which the rater deliberately attempts to rate individuals high (or low)irrespective of their performance.
C)The method is well accepted by raters.
D)Anchor statements are chosen to be equal in desirability to make it more difficult for the rater to pick out the ones that can give the ratee the highest or lowest ratings.
E)Raters are not given the scoring scheme.

Question 40

Leniency refers to:

A)The tendency to rate employees towards the center of the scale regardless of actual performance.
B)The extent to which raters agree on an evaluation.
C)The degree to which the performance of ratees can be differentiated on each performance dimension.
D)The tendency to rate employees at the high end of the scale regardless of actual performance.
E)The tendency to allow a rating on one dimension to influence ratings of other dimensions for an employee.

Question 41

An employee does an excellent job at answering customer's technical questions related to software.However,they are not effective or efficient when it comes to completing paperwork,or working well with their peers.The manager rates this employee as excellent in all performance categories.This is an example of what performance appraisal error?

A)Halo effect
B)Horns effect
C)Recency
D)Severity
E)Central tendency

Question 42

Define the six different types of outcomes that may be measured in a work performance system.Provide brief examples for each.

Question 43

A manager believes that older workers are less likely to be able to improve performance than younger workers.This thinking could lead to what form of performance appraisal error?

A)attribution error
B)bias
C)contamination
D)frame of reference
E)accountability

Question 44

Which of the following is not a major factor causing inaccurate and unfair performance appraisal?

A)Lack of sufficient observation of employee's work
B)Multiple sources of information related to performance
C)Raters who have not been trained despite demonstrated bias
D)Failing to consider situational constraints
E)Concern over the negative reaction of the individual being rated

Question 45

What are rating errors? List the common rating errors.

Question 46

List and explain four common rating errors.

Question 47

A company that provides service of repairs of refrigerators has noticed that their overall performance has been declining over the past 3 years.They are interested in increasing the performance of the entire team of service personnel,including measurements of time and cost of repair visits.Which of the following is correct?

A)Management should be concerned with measurement of objectives being too objective
B)Management should pull together a team and design a ProMES program.
C)Management should focus on individual performance measurements and not try to measure aggregate performance
D)Management should implement a forced distribution performance appraisal system.
E)Management should understand that performance levels move up and down in cycles and they need to simply wait until the next cycle of increased performance begins.

Question 48

To ensure a supportive and creative atmosphere for the feedback session,the rater should:

A)Have one-way conversation with the ratee
B)Include several employees at once to brainstorm
C)Allow the employee to discuss their concerns in a two-way conversation
D)Keep the duration of the performance meeting as short as possible
E)Continue to take phone calls and accept interruptions from your staff during the meeting.

Question 49

Briefly describe each of the two ways in which errors arise.

Question 50

__________ presents the rater with a limited number of categories and requires the rater to place a designated portion of the ratees into each category.

A)Comparisons among anchors
B) Paired comparisons
C)Forced distribution
D)Straight ranking
E)Graphic rating scales

Question 51

List the three basic ways in which raters can make performance assessments.

Question 52

Formal performance appraisal should have outcomes that are clearly linked to organizational __________.

A)demands
B) requirements
C)goals
D)policies
E)ethics

Question 53

What is the criterion for recommending MBO as a method for comparing people or units?

Question 54

Which of the following is an appraisal method that makes comparisons between ratees performance?

A)check list
B)forced choice
C)management by objectives (MBO)
D)straight ranking
E)performance distribution assessment (PDA)

Question 55

What does the process of designing an appraisal system include? Who should be involved is this process?

Question 56

One of the primary reasons that companies have turned to using forced distribution in their performance management systems is to overcome __________.

A)fundamental attribution error
B) representativeness bias
C)availability bias
D)leniency bias
E)anchoring bias

Question 57

The __________ rating method presents raters with pairs of behavioral statements reflecting different levels of performance on the same performance dimension.

A)behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)
B)computerized adaptive rating scales (CARS)
C)management by objectives (MBO)
D)behavioral observation scales (BOS)
E)performance distribution assessment (PDA)

Question 58

Briefly explain the management by objectives (MBO)rating method.

Question 59

What are the administrative concerns that must be addressed in performance appraisal system? Provide a description of each.

Question 60

List the recommendations for implementing a multirater/360-degree appraisal system.