Question 1

Performance appraisals provide information that is critical to human resources planning. Having a sense of the current skills of the workforce is crucial for:

Accepted Answer

Performance appraisals provide data that are used to make a series of administrative and management decisions. Individual ratings can be used to inform compensation, promotion, and layoff decisions. More broadly, evaluations provide information that is critical to human resources (HR) planning. Having a sense of the current skills of the workforce is critical to being prepared for future needs, including skill gaps, new areas of specialization, and treatment needs.

Question 2

A tool used to facilitate conversation in the form of constructive discussion between a staff member and his or her manager/supervisor in order to clarify work performance and needed improvements is a:

Accepted Answer

A performance improvement plan (PIP) is defined as a formal performance action plan that is used as a tool to facilitate conversation in the form of constructive discussion between a staff member and his or her manager/supervisor in order to clarify work performance and needed improvements (Heathfield, 2016). A PIP outlines specific goals to work toward and specific improvement steps to take.

Question 3

Jennifer is evaluating her own performance over the past year and comparing it to the standards set by the organization. Jennifer is performing a(n):

Accepted Answer

Self-evaluation is the aspect of performance appraisal whereby employees do self-assessments of their own perceptions about their performance as compared with stated objectives and expectations.

Question 4

A nurse is receiving her annual performance appraisal. To evaluate the nurse's performance, the manager considers feedback about the nurse's performance from the nurse's peers, subordinates, and patients. This type of evaluation is a:

Accepted Answer

In a 360-degree feedback review, managers, peers, subordinates, and patients all provide feedback. The 360-degree process is intended to give the reviewer a fuller and more robust picture of the individual's performance.

Question 5

The ability to measure performance is challenging, and despite significant advancements, measurements continue to be imperfect. Inaccuracy in measurement in favor of or against a group is known as:

Accepted Answer

Accurately assessing and rating someone according to a predetermined scale is a challenging task. There is a tremendous amount of bias in a performance rating. Bias refers to inaccuracy in the measurement in favor of or against a person or group, typically in a way that is unfair. Bias occurs for a wide range of reasons.

Question 6

A performance appraisal criterion that measures the ability to perform a skill successfully is:

Accepted Answer

A competency is the ability to perform a skill successfully. Competencies are more adaptable than behaviors because they describe the capability that underlies the behaviors. Although there is still some subjectivity and bias in rating competencies, these types of scales have been shown to have acceptable levels of validity and reliability.

Question 7

Karen is a nurse manager who conducts performance appraisals by observing each nurse for a day and basing the evaluation on that day's performance. This type of bias is known as:

Accepted Answer

Recency bias occurs when the most recent events are the focus of the review.

Question 8

A successful performance review system must be: (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The performance review process needs to be in line with the organization's strategic objectives. An effective review system should be fair, transparent, and perceived as just by both those who administer the process and those who are evaluated. The review system needs to be administratively practical. If the system is too onerous, too time consuming, or too taxing on anyone, it can easily fall apart. It is important to understand that there is likely to be some bias in performance appraisals.

Question 9

A newer focus of performance appraisal that has the ability to engage high-performing nurses and motivate people toward even higher levels of performance is:

Accepted Answer

Although the focus of performance appraisals has been on remedial learning or correcting weaknesses, researchers have more recently called for a reframing of performance development after feedback. A focus on building strengths has the potential to reorient the conversation, engage high-performing nurses, and motivate people toward even higher levels of performance.

Question 10

A nursing manager is evaluating an employee's dependability, responsibility, and decision-making ability on a scale of 1 to 5. This is an example of what type of rating system?

Accepted Answer

Under trait rating systems, workers are measured according to the extent to which they possess a given personal characteristic. Traits that could be measured include dependability, conscientiousness, responsibility, self-management, responsiveness, and decision-making ability. When using a trait method, a supervisor might be asked to rate to what extent an employee exhibits a certain trait.

Question 11

The ability to perform a skill successfully is:

Accepted Answer

A competency is the ability to perform a skill successfully. Competencies are more adaptable than behaviors because they describe the capability that underlies the behaviors.

Question 12

Ben has reported to work late four times in the last 3 months. His manager brings this to his attention and asks him to meet her in her office tomorrow at 10 AM to discuss the issue. At their meeting, Ben is given an opportunity to explain his tardiness and corrective action is determined. A tool the manager can use to monitor Ben's future performance is a:

Accepted Answer

A performance improvement plan (PIP) is a formal action plan that addresses work performance and needed improvements using identified goals and specific improvement plans. A PIP can be used as a coaching device for personal professional improvement or as a way of tracking and monitoring the performance of a staff member who may be a cause for concern.

Question 13

The process by which a manager examines and evaluates an employee's work behavior by comparing it with pre-set standards, documents the results of the comparison, and uses the results to provide feedback to the employee is:

Accepted Answer

Performance appraisal means evaluating the work of others. It is the process by which a manager examines and evaluates an employee's work behavior by comparing it with pre-set standards, documents the results of the comparison, and uses the results to provide feedback to the employee to show where improvements are needed and why.

Question 14

This management technique is used to help employees improve performance in a service-oriented profession. This technique, in which the manager guides the employee through a conversation about his or her past successes as a way of identifying strengths, and then has a detailed discussion about how the employee can use the strengths to enhance future performance, is known as:

Accepted Answer

The technique asks the manager to guide the employee through a conversation about his or her past successes as a way of identifying strengths. The dyad then has a detailed discussion about how the employee can use the strengths to enhance future performance. The feedforward technique has been found to be effective for improving performance in a service-oriented professional equipment firm.

Question 15

Carrie, the manager of the pediatric floor, is being evaluated by her director. Carrie set goals last year such as increasing patient satisfaction on her unit by 20% and decreasing staff turnover by 10%. Carrie's performance appraisal today is based on how well she achieved those goals. This type of performance appraisal measures:

Accepted Answer

In an effort to reduce as much bias as possible in performance ratings, some evaluators look to results-based measures of performance. This type of measurement asks the question "what will be the outcome of high performance?" Although these types of measurements allow for objectivity in the rating, there are some clear limitations as the ratings do not capture everything that is important to performance for a job well done.

Question 16

The effectiveness of the performance review process can be improved when the manager and the employee can collaboratively: (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The performance review meeting needs to be seen as an opportunity. A reframing of the performance review as a meeting where the manager and the nurse can collaboratively set goals, make developmental plans, and talk about future prospects has the potential to shift the effectiveness of the entire performance review process. If performance corrections are given on the job as the need arises, then the review meeting can be refocused on meaningful development.

Question 17

A performance appraisal bias that occurs when all members of the team receive the same satisfactory rating is:

Accepted Answer

Leniency is a type of bias that occurs when all members of the team receive the same satisfactory rating.

Question 18

The prevailing purpose of performance appraisal is to:

Accepted Answer

The prevailing purpose of performance appraisal is to improve and motivate the staff, which in turn will enhance organizational effectiveness. Thus the process of performance appraisal is a means to address both institutional needs and the needs and abilities of staff.

Question 19

An experienced critical care nurse left a CCU staff nurse position to finish a master's degree. Periodically, he would return to work as a per diem nurse in the CCU. The staff was impressed with the nurse's performance; however, one staff member complained that he was unfamiliar with the new telemetry monitors when he first returned to work several months ago. This comment showed up in his evaluation, resulting in a poorer overall evaluation from the nurse manager compared with previous evaluations. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A horn effect occurs when a manager perceives one negative aspect about an employee or that employee's performance and generalizes it into an overall poor appraisal rating.

Question 20

The nurse manager is evaluating Brandon, an emergency department (ED) nurse. The manager obtains input about Brandon's performance from another nurse in the ED, the ED physician, a patient-care assistant, and Brandon himself. The type of performance evaluation the nurse manager utilizes is:

Accepted Answer

The 360-degree feedback review can be obtained by seeking input from managers, peers, subordinates, and patients. A self-report rating is often part of a 360-degree feedback process. Once all the input is obtained, the evaluating manager adds his or her input and merges the feedback to develop the final score.

Quiz 24: Performance Appraisal