Deck 9: Performance Management

Question 1

Narrative essays are brief anecdotal reports by supervisors of things employees do that are particularly effective or ineffective in accomplishing parts of their jobs.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Results-oriented rating methods focus on employee behaviors,either by comparing the performance of employees to that of other employees or by evaluating each employee in terms of performance standards without reference to others.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Performance management is a kind of compass that indicates a person's actual direction as well as a person's desired direction.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Ranking methods that compare employees to one another are useful for generating initial rankings for purposes of employment decisions.

Question 5

Alternation ranking requires only that the rater order all employees from highest to lowest,from "best" employee to "worst" employee.

Question 6

Reliability implies that a performance appraisal system is capable of distinguishing effective from ineffective performers.

Question 7

Managers need as much encouragement and organizational support as possible if painless layoffs are going to take place.

Question 8

Only 30 percent of respondents agreed that employees have a sense of trust in their performance-management system.

Question 9

Performance appraisal is an exact,human process.

Question 10

Smart managers enlist the active support and cooperation of subordinates or teams by making explicit exactly what aspects of job performance they will be evaluated on.

Question 11

One of the reasons it is difficult to execute well throughout an entire organization is that performance management demands daily,not annual,attention from every manager.

Question 12

Relevance implies that there are clear links between the performance standards for a particular job and organizational objectives.

Question 13

When determining adverse impact,organizations must keep records of who is eligible and interested in promotion.This defines the applicant group.

Question 14

If employees lack the tools to reach the challenging goals they have set,they will become frustrated and disenchanted.

Question 15

Performance facilitation includes eliminating roadblocks,providing adequate resources,and paying careful attention to selection.

Question 16

Managers who are committed to managing for maximum performance recognize that one of their major responsibilities is to eliminate roadblocks to successful performance.

Question 17

Despite their shortcomings,appraisals continue to be used widely,especially as a basis for tying pay to performance.

Question 18

Even if there is an excessive delay between effective performance and receipt of a reward,the reward still has great potential to motivate subsequent high performance.

Question 19

Appraisals provide organization justification to employees and thereby serve as vehicles for personal and career development.

Question 20

The narrative essay is the simplest type of absolute rating system,and requires the rater to describe in writing the employee's strengths,weaknesses,and potential.

Question 21

BARS stands for behaviorally anchored rating scales.

Question 22

Graphic rating scales yield the depth of essays and critical incidents,but they are more time-consuming to develop and administer.

Question 23

Multirater or 360-degree feedback utilizes input from managers,subordinates,peers and customers to provide a perspective on performance from all angles.

Question 24

Of the many types of rater training programs available today,meta-analytic evidence has demonstrated reliably that 360-degree training is the most effective at improving the accuracy of performance appraisals.

Question 25

After a performance appraisal interview,supervisors should communicate frequently with subordinates about their performance.

Question 26

The broad process of performance management requires that you do which things well:

A) define performance.
B) facilitate performance.
C) encourage performance.
D) All of the above

Question 27

The answer to the question "What really makes the difference between success and failure on a particular job,and according to whom?" determines:

A) relevance.
B) sensitivity.
C) reliability.
D) coherence.

Question 28

_________ implies that there are clear links between the performance standards for a particular job and organizational objectives,and between the critical job elements identified through a job analysis and the dimensions to be rated on an appraisal form.

A) Acceptability
B) Reliability
C) Relevance
D) Sensitivity

Question 29

This can be thought of as a kind of compass,one that indicates a person's actual direction as well as a person's desired direction.

A) Management by objectives
B) Forced distribution
C) Central tendency
D) Performance management

Question 30

Appraisals provide legal and formal organizational justification for:

A) employment decisions.
B) keeping unions out.
C) high executive salaries.
D) bringing legal action against employees.

Question 31

The process of encouraging performance is concerned with all of the following except:

A) sufficient amount of rewards.
B) cost of rewards.
C) timing of rewards.
D) value of rewards.

Question 32

Longitudinal research shows that managers who met with their direct reports to discuss their upward feedback improved more than other managers.

Question 33

An administrative exercise that is typically done once a year to identify and discuss job-relevant strengths and weaknesses of individuals or work teams is:

A) performance appraisal.
B) performance facilitation.
C) performance encouragement.
D) performance standard.

Question 34

Defining performance requires all of the following EXCEPT:

A) goals
B) measures
C) assessment
D) performance facilitation

Question 35

Legal and scientific requirements for a successful appraisal system include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) relevance.
B) acceptability.
C) reliability.
D) sensitivity.

Question 36

Assessing team performance should be seen as complementary to the assessment and recognition of individual performance and individuals' behaviors and skills that contribute to team performance.

Question 37

By being an active listener,the supervisor can avoid many legal liabilities.

Question 38

The most fundamental requirement for a rater is that he/she has an adequate opportunity to observe the rate's overall work attitude over a reasonable period of time.

Question 39

Which of the following statements about performance appraisal is false?

A) It is an exercise in observation and judgment.
B) It is a feedback process.
C) It is an exact,human process.
D) It is a measurement process.

Question 40

The rating format is not as important as the relevance and acceptability of the rating system.

Question 41

One requirement of sound appraisal systems is _____,which refers to consistency of judgment.

A) reliability
B) sensitivity
C) relevance
D) acceptability

Question 42

Which of the following steps will NOT help to avoid legal difficulties in regard to performance appraisals?

A) Conduct a job analysis to determine the characteristics necessary for successful job performance.
B) Include formal appeal mechanisms,coupled with higher-level review of appraisals.
C) Train supervisors to avoid documenting cases where subjective standards were applied unevenly to members of protected groups.
D) Provide some form of performance counseling or corrective guidance to assist poor performers.

Question 43

_____ are brief anecdotal reports by supervisors of things employees do that are particularly effective or ineffective in accomplishing parts of their jobs.

A) Forced distributions
B) Critical incidents
C) Narrative essays
D) Case studies

Question 44

_________ focus on employee behaviors,either by comparing the performance of employees to that of other employees or by evaluating each employee in terms of performance standards without reference to others.

A) Behavior oriented rating systems
B) MBO-oriented
C) Relative systems
D) Results-oriented systems

Question 45

Which ratings format is likely to cause a great deal of employee resentment?

A) BARS
B) MBO
C) Critical incidents
D) Forced distribution

Question 46

_____ translate job requirements into levels of acceptable or unacceptable employee behavior.

A) Absolute rating systems
B) Qualitative analyses
C) Reliability judgments
D) Performance standards

Question 47

_____ is a process of managing that relies on goal-setting to establish objectives for the organization as a whole,for each department,for each manager within each department,and for each employee.

A) FOR
B) BARS
C) MBO
D) IDPS

Question 48

This approach assumes that a candid statement from a rater who is knowledgeable about an employee's performance is just as valid as more formal and more complicated rating methods.

A) Simple ranking
B) Paired comparisons
C) Narrative essay
D) Alternation ranking

Question 49

When using _____,each employee is compared with every other employee,usually in terms of an overall category such as "present value to the organization."

A) simple ranking
B) alternation ranking
C) paired comparisons
D) narrative essays

Question 50

The simplest type of absolute rating system is _____,in which a rater describes,in writing,an employee's strengths,weaknesses,and potential,together with suggestions for improvement.

A) simple ranking
B) narrative essay
C) relative essay
D) comparative

Question 51

_____ implies that a performance-appraisal system is capable of distinguishing effective from ineffective performers.

A) Accuracy
B) Sensitivity
C) Relevance
D) Coherence

Question 52

Which of the following is a disadvantage of forced distribution?

A) Difficult to make comparisons across employees.
B) May be inaccurate if a group of employees is either very effective or ineffective.
C) Provides little basis for individual feedback and development.
D) Forces raters to make distinctions among employees.

Question 53

Which of the following statements about graphic rating scales is false?

A) They may not yield the depth of essays or critical incidents.
B) They are time-consuming to develop and administer.
C) They allow results to be expressed in quantitative terms.
D) They consider more than one performance dimension.

Question 54

_____ requires only that a rater order all employees from highest to lowest,from "best" employee to "worst" employee.

A) Paired comparisons
B) Simple ranking
C) Forced distribution
D) Narrative essay

Question 55

Comparing the performance of employees to that of other employees is known as a(n)_____ rating system.

A) results-oriented
B) MBO-oriented
C) absolute
D) relative

Question 56

_____ implies that appraisal systems are easy for managers and employees to understand and use.

A) Reliability
B) Practicality
C) Sensitivity
D) Acceptability

Question 57

Graphic rating scales that use critical incidents to anchor various points along the scale are known as ________.

A) graphic rating scale
B) simple ranking
C) BARS
D) narrative essay

Question 58

Which of the following is an advantage of narrative essays?

A) Good for individual feedback and development.
B) Good for making comparisons across employees.
C) Forces raters to make distinctions among employees.
D) Provides a direct link between job analysis and performance appraisal.

Question 59

The term BARS stands for:

A) Behavior and reaction system.
B) Best anchored rating system.
C) Behavior attitude reconstruction.
D) Behaviorally anchored rating scales.

Question 60

According to a study,individuals who tend to be most lenient:

A) score high in agreeableness.
B) are noncooperative.
C) strive for excellence.
D) set difficult goals.

Question 61

Appraisal systems designed for administrative purposes demand performance information about differences between individuals.What type of information do systems designed to promote employee growth demand?

Question 62

The advantage of using a behavioral checklist is that:

A) it is good for individual feedback and development.
B) the meaning of response categories is generally interpreted similarly by various raters.
C) it focuses directly on job behaviors.
D) it provides a direct link between job analysis and performance appraisal.

Question 63

_____ error results when a rater assigns his/her ratings on the basis of the employee's most recent performance,and is most likely to occur when appraisals are done only after long periods.

A) Halo
B) Contrast
C) Recency
D) Virtual

Question 64

What are some of the obstacles that can inhibit maximum performance in performance facilitation?
Outdated or poorly maintained equipment,delays in receiving supplies,inefficient design of work spaces,and ineffective work methods.Employees are well aware of these,and they are only too willing to identify them-if managers will only ask for their input.Then it's the manager's job to eliminate these obstacles.
Legally and scientifically,the key requirements of any appraisal system are relevance,sensitivity,and reliability.
Relevance implies that there are clear links between the performance standards for a particular job and organizational objectives and between the critical job elements identified through a job analysis and the dimensions to be rated on an appraisal form.In short,relevance is determined by answering the question "What really makes the difference between success and failure on a particular job,and according to whom?" The answer to the latter question is simple: the customer.Customers may be internal or external.In all cases,it is important to pay attention to the things that the customer believes are important.
Sensitivity implies that a performance-appraisal system is capable of distinguishing effective from ineffective performers.If it is not,and the best employees are rated no differently from the worst employees,then the appraisal system cannot be used for any administrative purpose,it certainly will not help employees to develop,and it will undermine the motivation of both supervisors and subordinates.
Reliability refers to consistency of judgment.For any given employee,appraisals made by raters working independently of one another should agree closely.In practice,ratings made by supervisors tend to be more reliable than those made by peers.Certainly raters with different perspectives may see the same individual's job performance very differently,and this can actually make the feedback less useful and more problematic.To provide reliable data,each rater must have an adequate opportunity to observe what the employee has done and the conditions under which he or she has done it; otherwise,unreliability may be confused with unfamiliarity.

Question 65

Explain the difference between performance management and performance appraisal.Why is the distinction important?

Question 66

Which of the following is not a supervisory activity that should be done before a performance feedback interview?

A) Set goals that you feel the employee should strive for.
B) Communicate frequently with subordinates about their performance.
C) Get training in performance appraisal interviewing.
D) Plan to use a problem-solving approach rather than "tell-and-sell."

Question 67

List the steps a supervisor should take to help insure effective appraisal interviews (feedback sessions)with subordinates.

Question 68

A source of performance ratings that is probably more appropriate for counseling and development than for personnel decisions is:

A) supervisors.
B) peers.
C) customers.
D) self.

Question 69

What type of team is assembled for a specific purpose and expected to disband after their task is completed?

A) Service
B) Work
C) Project
D) Network

Question 70

Describe the benefits of the Multi-rater or 360-Degree feedback system.

Question 71

Describe halo error and give an example of how it operates.

Question 72

Why should a supervisor and subordinate mutually set specific,challenging goals?

Question 73

If a rater is asked to assess an employee's performance over a 6- to 12-month period,_____ ratings may result,especially if information has been stored in a rater's memory according to irrelevant,oversimplistic,or otherwise faulty categories.

A) objective
B) impartial
C) biased
D) neutral

Question 74

To assess adverse impact,organizations should keep accurate records of two factors define the applicant group?

Question 75

_____ errors occur when ratings are assigned on the basis of a global impression of a ratee.

A) Incidental
B) Contrast
C) Virtual
D) Halo

Question 76

If objective performance data are available,which of the following is the best strategy to use?

A) MBO
B) BARS
C) Summated rating scales
D) Work planning and review

Question 77

What rating method presents a declarative statement followed by several response categories that the rater checks,and then which are later weighted?

Question 78

What three things must be done well in order to define performance properly?

Question 79

________ feedback utilizes input from a variety of sources including managers,subordinates,peers and customers to provide a perspective on performance from all angles.

A) Multi-variance
B) Multirater or 360-degree
C) Various sources
D) SPOT

Question 80

Friendship bias is most likely to be a problem when performance ratings are provided by:

A) supervisors.
B) subordinates.
C) peers.
D) self.