Question 1

Which of the following is a weakness associated with the graphic rating scale method of performance appraisal?
A) The writing skill of a manager can affect appraisal conducted using this method.
B) It can lead to friction between the manager and employees when the employees think the manager is keeping a "book" on them.
C) Managers are required to jot down incidents regularly which become a burdensome and time-consuming task.
D) It evaluates one employee's performance as a function of the performance of other employees in the job.
E) Managers are unlikely to interpret written descriptions in the same manner because of differences in background, experience, and personality.

Accepted Answer

The weakness associated with the graphic rating scale method of performance appraisal is that managers are unlikely to interpret written descriptions in the same manner because of differences in background, experience, and personality. This can lead to inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the appraisal process.

Question 2

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches can lead to friction between the manager and employees when the employees think the manager is keeping a "book" on them?
A) The critical-incident appraisal method
B) The production standards approach
C) The checklist method
D) The management by objectives (MBO) approach
E) The graphic rating scale method

Accepted Answer

The critical-incident appraisal method can lead to friction between managers and employees because it involves the manager keeping detailed records of both positive and negative employee behaviors. Employees may perceive this as the manager "keeping a book" on them, potentially leading to distrust or discomfort.

Question 3

Which of the following is true about the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)method of performance appraisal?
A) These scales are developed solely by the human resources department.
B) The anchors are developed from the observations and experiences of employees who actually perform the job.
C) These scales take extremely less time and commitment to develop.
D) This method focuses on the performance outcomes of an employee doing a particular job.
E) This method allows managers to develop and use a single standardized rating scale for all jobs.

Accepted Answer

The behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) method of performance appraisal involves developing the anchor statements from the observations and experiences of employees who actually perform the job. This makes the scales more job-specific and less reliant on subjective judgments. The other options are incorrect: A is incorrect because the anchors are not developed solely by the HR department; C is incorrect because BARS scales require significant time and commitment to develop; D is only partially correct, as BARS focuses on both behaviors and outcomes; and E is incorrect because BARS scales are job-specific and therefore cannot be standardized across different jobs.

Question 4

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires the manager to describe an employee's performance in written narrative form?
A) The essay appraisal method
B) The production standards approach
C) The checklist method
D) The management by objectives (MBO) approach
E) The graphic rating scale method

Accepted Answer

The essay appraisal method requires the manager to write a detailed narrative describing an employee's strengths, weaknesses, and overall performance. This method allows for a more personalized and comprehensive evaluation compared to other methods.

Question 5

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches does not focus on performance outcomes?
A) The critical-incident appraisal method
B) The production standards approach
C) The forced distribution method
D) The essay appraisal method
E) The behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) method

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following performance appraisal approaches...

Question 6

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches uses input from an employee's managers,peers,customers,suppliers,or colleagues?
A) The 360-degree feedback process
B) The essay appraisal method
C) The critical-incident appraisal method
D) The alternation ranking approach
E) The forced-choice rating process

Accepted Answer

The 360-degree feedback process gathers feedback from a variety of sources, including managers, peers, customers, suppliers, or colleagues, in order to provide a more comprehensive and well-rounded assessment of an employee's performance.

Question 7

Which of the following potential errors in performance appraisals refers to the grouping of ratings at the positive end of the performance scale instead of spreading them throughout the scale?
A) Forced-choice
B) Leniency
C) Central tendency
D) Alternation bias
E) Recency

Accepted Answer

Leniency refers to the tendency to rate individuals more positively than they deserve, which can lead to an over-representation of ratings at the positive end of the performance scale, thus grouping them together.

Question 8

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires the manager to compare the performances of employees and place a certain percentage of employees at various performance levels?
A) The alternation ranking method
B) The paired comparison ranking method
C) The forced distribution ranking method
D) The forced-choice rating method
E) The behaviorally anchored rating method

Accepted Answer

The forced distribution ranking method requires managers to compare performances of employees and place a certain percentage of employees at various performance levels, such as "top performers," "average performers," and "low performers." This approach is sometimes also referred to as "grading on a curve."

Question 9

Carla is a human resources manager for a software development company.She has been asked to describe and note in her own words her team members' performances,including their quantity and quality of work.Which of the following performance appraisal approaches has Carla been asked to implement?
A) The essay appraisal method
B) The production standards approach
C) The checklist method
D) The management by objectives (MBO) approach
E) The graphic rating scale method

Accepted Answer

The essay appraisal method involves a written narrative describing an employee's performance, including their strengths, weaknesses and achievements. It is subjective in nature and provides a more detailed evaluation of an employee's performance compared to other methods. In this case, Carla has been asked to describe and note her team members' performances, which aligns with the essay appraisal method.

Question 10

Which of the following potential errors in performance appraisals occurs when performance appraisal statistics indicate that most employees are evaluated similarly as doing average or above-average work?
A) Forced-choice
B) Leniency
C) Central tendency
D) Alternation bias
E) Recency

Accepted Answer

Central tendency occurs when supervisors rate most employees as "average" or "above average," indicating a reluctance to give negative ratings or to distinguish between different levels of performance. This can result in less accurate and useful performance feedback.

Question 11

Which of the following is a weakness associated with the forced distribution ranking method of performance appraisal?
A) The writing skill of a manager can affect appraisal conducted using this method.
B) It can lead to friction between the manager and employees when the employees think the manager is keeping a "book" on them.
C) Managers are required to jot down incidents regularly, which can become burdensome and time-consuming.
D) It evaluates one employee's performance as a function of the performance of other employees in the job.
E) Managers are unlikely to interpret written descriptions in the same manner because of differences in background, experience, and personality.

Accepted Answer

The forced distribution ranking method evaluates the performance of employees relative to one another, meaning that an employee's rating is directly tied to the ratings of others in the same job. This can be a weakness because it doesn't measure individual performance or improvement, but rather how they compare to others. This can lead to a lack of motivation among employees who feel that they cannot improve their ratings even if they perform at a high level.

Question 12

Harry is a manager at Pine and Acorn Consultancy.During the annual performance appraisals,he compares the performances of his subordinates and places them at various performance levels,similar to a bell-shaped curve.His senior manager has approved a fixed amount for him to distribute as a performance-linked incentive to a certain percentage of his subordinates who have exceeded expectations.Which of the following performance appraisal approaches has Harry used as a prerequisite for this distribution?
A) The critical-incident appraisal method
B) The graphic rating scale method
C) The forced distribution ranking method
D) The checklist method
E) The behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) method

Accepted Answer

Harry has used the forced distribution ranking method, also known as the "rank and yank" method, where he places his subordinates into different performance levels based on a bell curve distribution. This method helps in identifying the top performers who can be given a performance-linked incentive, as approved by his senior manager. The other methods mentioned in the options do not involve a bell-shaped curve or ranking of employees.

Question 13

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires the manager to rank a set of statements describing how an employee carries out the duties and responsibilities of the job?
A) The alternation ranking method
B) The paired comparison ranking method
C) The forced-choice rating method
D) The forced distribution method
E) The critical-incident appraisal method

Accepted Answer

The forced-choice rating method involves a manager ranking a set of statements that describe how an employee performs their job duties and responsibilities. This method is designed to minimize bias by forcing the evaluator to choose between statements that are equally positive or negative, making it harder to rate all employees as outstanding or all as unsatisfactory.

Question 14

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches assumes that one employee's performance evaluation is a function of the performance of other employees in the job?
A) The essay appraisal method
B) The production standards approach
C) The checklist method
D) The management by objectives (MBO) approach
E) The alternation ranking method

Accepted Answer

The alternation ranking method involves comparing employees directly with each other, ranking them from best to worst on some trait or traits. This method assumes that one employee's performance evaluation is relative to the performance of others, making it the correct choice.

Question 15

The _____ method attempts to eliminate bias by forcing the manager to rank statements that are seemingly indistinguishable or unrelated.
A) alternation ranking
B) paired comparison ranking
C) forced-choice rating
D) critical-incident
E) behaviorally anchored rating scale

Accepted Answer

The forced-choice rating method is designed to minimize bias by requiring evaluators to choose between statements that appear similar or unrelated, making it harder for them to rate based on personal biases or non-performance-related factors.

Question 16

Laura is a senior manager at Pine and Acorn Consultancy.Following the semi-annual appraisals,Pine and Acorn's human resources manager Peter informed Laura that her ratings of her subordinates were grouped at the positive end of the performance scale instead of being spread throughout the scale.Which of the following potential errors in performance appraisals has Laura committed?
A) Forced-choice
B) Leniency
C) Central tendency
D) Alternation bias
E) Recency

Accepted Answer

Laura has committed the error of leniency in her performance appraisals by rating her subordinates at the positive end of the performance scale instead of giving them a fair and objective rating based on their actual performance. This can lead to overrating of employees and can cause problems in promotions, bonuses, and other rewards.

Question 17

Which of the following terms refer(s)to the broad categories of duties and responsibilities that make up a job?
A) Job dimension
B) Job content
C) Job design
D) Job specifications
E) Job depth

Accepted Answer

Job dimension refers to the broad categories of duties and responsibilities that make up a job.

Question 18

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires a scoring key to be kept by the human resource department to minimize managerial bias?
A) The critical-incident appraisal method
B) The production standards approach
C) The checklist method
D) The management by objectives (MBO) approach
E) The graphic rating scale method

Accepted Answer

The checklist method requires a scoring key to be kept by the HR department to minimize managerial bias. This approach involves the use of a list of traits or behaviors that the evaluator checks off as they observe them. The scoring key is used to assign scores to each trait or behavior and minimize subjectivity on the part of the evaluator.

Question 19

Holly is a project manager in a software development firm.She has been asked to conduct the annual performance appraisal for her team.She lists the names of her team members on the left side of a sheet of paper.She then compares the first employee with every other employee on the list on the quality of work criterion and places a check mark on the one who produced the best quality of work in each of the paired comparisons.In this way she compares each employee to every other employee in the list.Which of the following performance appraisal method has Holly implemented?
A) The critical-incident comparison method
B) The alternation ranking approach
C) The paired comparison ranking method
D) The management by objectives (MBO) approach
E) The paired graphic rating scale method

Accepted Answer

Holly has implemented the paired comparison ranking method of performance appraisal. In this method, each employee is compared with every other employee on a certain criterion, and a check mark is placed next to the employee who performed better in each comparison. This results in a ranking of employees based on their performance.

Question 20

The forced distribution ranking method assumes the performance level in a group of employees is distributed according to a _____.
A) scatter diagram
B) "S" shaped curve
C) Pareto diagram
D) skewed curve
E) normal curve

Accepted Answer

The forced distribution ranking method assumes that the performance level in a group of employees is distributed according to a normal curve, also known as a bell curve. This curve is symmetrical and has a peak in the middle, with most employees falling near the average performance level and fewer employees at the extremes of high or low performance.

Quiz 18: Appraising and Rewarding Performance

Which of the following is a weakness associated with the graphic rating scale method of performance appraisal?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches can lead to friction between the manager and employees when the employees think the manager is keeping a "book" on them?

Which of the following is true about the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) method of performance appraisal?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires the manager to describe an employee's performance in written narrative form?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches does not focus on performance outcomes?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches uses input from an employee's managers,peers,customers,suppliers,or colleagues?

Which of the following potential errors in performance appraisals refers to the grouping of ratings at the positive end of the performance scale instead of spreading them throughout the scale?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires the manager to compare the performances of employees and place a certain percentage of employees at various performance levels?

Carla is a human resources manager for a software development company.She has been asked to describe and note in her own words her team members' performances,including their quantity and quality of work.Which of the following performance appraisal approaches has Carla been asked to implement?

Which of the following potential errors in performance appraisals occurs when performance appraisal statistics indicate that most employees are evaluated similarly as doing average or above-average work?

Which of the following is a weakness associated with the forced distribution ranking method of performance appraisal?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires the manager to rank a set of statements describing how an employee carries out the duties and responsibilities of the job?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches assumes that one employee's performance evaluation is a function of the performance of other employees in the job?

The _____ method attempts to eliminate bias by forcing the manager to rank statements that are seemingly indistinguishable or unrelated.

Which of the following terms refer(s) to the broad categories of duties and responsibilities that make up a job?

Which of the following performance appraisal approaches requires a scoring key to be kept by the human resource department to minimize managerial bias?

The forced distribution ranking method assumes the performance level in a group of employees is distributed according to a _____.