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

Accepted Answer

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Accepted Answer

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

Accepted Answer

C)Upward feedback lets subordinates anonymously rate their supervisor's performance.The process helps top managers diagnose management styles,identify potential "people"problems,and take corrective action with individual managers as required.

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

Accepted Answer

D)Many firms expand the idea of upward and peer feedback into "360-degree feedback."Here ratings are collected "all around"an employee,from supervisors,subordinates,peers,and internal or external customers.

Question 6

In order to be the most effective,the performance management process should occur ________.
A)occasionally
B)continuously
C)periodically
D)annually

Accepted Answer

B)Performance management is the continuous process of identifying,measuring,and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning their performance with the organization's goals.

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

Accepted Answer

A)The supervisor-not HR-usually does the actual appraising in most situations.With the growing use of self-managing teams,peer appraisals are being used more often,but supervisor appraisals are more common.

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

Accepted Answer

B)Performance management is the continuous process of identifying,measuring,and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning their performance with the organization's goals.Many employers have what they call performance management,but still use traditional 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

Accepted Answer

A)The acronym SMART stands for specific,measurable,attainable,relevant,and timely.Managers should set SMART goals to motivate employees.

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

Accepted Answer

B)In a twist on 360-degree appraisals,more employers are using new "crowd-sourcing"recognition and appraisal software tools to obtain co-workers' comments and appraisals.The company then uses these comments as one input for its formal employee appraisals.

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

Accepted Answer

C)Using multiple raters can help cancel out problems such as bias on the part of individual raters.However,ratings obtained from different sources rarely match.

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

Accepted Answer

A)Ball Corporation managers wanted to improve performance by instituting a better process for setting goals.They then set and communicated daily performance goals to their work teams.Management tracked daily goal attainment with team scorecards that the work teams completed.

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

Accepted Answer

C)Effective goals should be specific,measurable,attainable,relevant,and timely.Goals should be challenging but doable,and employee participation should be encouraged.Giving consequences for failing to meet goals is not recommended and unlikely to motivate employees.

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

Accepted Answer

A)Research indicates that peer appraisals can be effective.Peer appraisals lead to improvements in open communication,task motivation,social loafing,group viability,cohesion,and satisfaction.Employees,in other words,seem to be motivated to meet their colleagues' expectations.

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

Accepted Answer

A)A rating committee is usually composed of the employee's immediate supervisor and three or four other supervisors.Peer appraisals are given by co-workers,and 360-degree feedback includes input from subordinates,peers,and supervisors.

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

Accepted Answer

D)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.Managers call these three steps the 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

Accepted Answer

B)Many employers let subordinates anonymously rate their supervisor's performance,a process some call upward feedback.The process helps top managers diagnose management styles,identify potential "people"problems,and take corrective action with individual managers as required.

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

Accepted Answer

D)Peers,rating committees,and subordinates are often involved in the performance appraisal process.In some cases,employees rate their own performance.Outside experts are less likely to provide appraisals in most firms.

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

Accepted Answer

C)Performance appraisal means evaluating an employee's current and/or past performance relative to his or her performance standards.Performance appraisal always involves setting work standards,assessing the employee's actual performance relative to those standards,and providing feedback to the employee.

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

Accepted Answer

C)Many employers have subordinates rate their managers.Anonymity affects such upward feedback.Managers who get feedback from subordinates who identify themselves view the upward feedback process more positively than do managers who get anonymous feedback.However,subordinates prefer giving anonymous responses,and those who must identify themselves tend to give inflated ratings.

Quiz 8: Performance and Talent Management

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

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

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

Upward feedback primarily helps top-level managers to ________.

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

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

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

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?

SMART goals are best described as ________.

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

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

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

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

Peer appraisals have been shown to result in a ________.

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?

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

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

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

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

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