Question 1

For negative feedback in a performance appraisal to cause a subordinate to change his/her behavior,it is necessary for an action plan to be devised,with or without the subordinate's input.

Accepted Answer

Without a clear action plan, negative feedback may not lead to any significant change in behavior. The action plan should include specific steps and goals for the subordinate to work on in order to improve their performance. It can be developed collaboratively between the manager and the subordinate or created by the manager alone. Either way, it is important to have a plan in place to translate the feedback into actionable steps.

Question 2

The use of self-appraisal is a good counterpoint to supervisor appraisal because the subordinate's leniency in self-appraisal offsets the rater bias of the supervisor.

Accepted Answer

Self-appraisal can provide valuable insights into an employee's self-perception and areas for improvement, but it does not necessarily offset supervisor bias. Both methods can be subject to different biases, and using one to counteract the other may not effectively address the issue of bias in performance evaluations.

Question 3

If the performance appraisal system in an organization is properly designed and administered,it will not be a stressful experience for either managers or their subordinates.

Accepted Answer

Even with a well-designed and administered system, performance appraisals can still be stressful due to inherent factors like personal biases, fear of negative feedback, and the pressure of evaluation.

Question 4

Supervisors who can constructively communicate negative feedback to subordinates is critical to an effective performance appraisal system.

Accepted Answer

Constructive and timely feedback is a key component of a successful performance appraisal system. Supervisors who are able to communicate negative feedback in a way that is respectful and focused on improvement can help employees identify areas for growth and development. By offering specific suggestions and providing ongoing support, supervisors can help employees enhance their skills and achieve their goals. This type of feedback can also help to build trust and ongoing communication between supervisors and employees, which is essential for creating a positive and productive work environment.

Question 5

As an HR director of an organization with a racially-mixed workforce,you have decided to implement multisource appraisals.You anticipate that the biases of the majority group against the two minority groups with "wash out" when the ratings are combined.You are correct in your assumption.

Accepted Answer

Multisource appraisals do not necessarily eliminate biases. In fact, depending on how the process is implemented, it may even reinforce biases. It is important to design the process carefully to minimize the effects of biases and to train both the raters and the employees on how to provide and receive feedback in a fair and unbiased manner. Additionally, it is important to recognize that "washing out" biases may not be the only goal of the appraisal process. The ultimate goal should be to provide developmental feedback that helps employees improve their performance and advance their careers.

Question 6

Graphic rating scales are generic and therefore can be effectively applied to almost any non-managerial job without much customization.

Accepted Answer

Graphic rating scales, while versatile, often require customization to accurately assess the specific competencies and performance criteria relevant to different non-managerial jobs.

Question 7

The critical incident method can be combined with other performance appraisal methods as a form of documentation.

Accepted Answer

The critical incident method can be used as a form of documentation to supplement other methods of performance appraisal such as ratings scales, behavioral observation scales, and 360-degree feedback. It provides specific examples of an employee's performance, both positive and negative, which can be used to support the evaluation of their overall performance.

Question 8

The equivalent of a 20/70/10 forced distribution method of performance appraisal applied in a classroom would require 10 percent of the students to be given a failing grade,so that they would be motivated to either improve or to drop the class.

Accepted Answer

Applied in a classroom, a 20/70/10 forced distribution method of performance appraisal does not make sense because it is not appropriate to fail a certain percentage of students just to motivate them or make them drop the class. This method is designed for performance evaluations in a work setting and should not be applied in a classroom environment.

Question 9

The performance ratings of an employee given by the various evaluators in a multisource performance appraisal system tend to be remarkably consistent with a narrow range of variability.

Accepted Answer

Multisource performance appraisal or 360-degree feedback can result in a wider range of variance as different evaluators may have different perspectives and biases. It is not necessarily consistent with a narrow range of variability.

Question 10

Category scaling methods are easy to develop and they help guard against leniency bias by supervisors by forcing the supervisors to rank subordinates against one another on each performance category.

Accepted Answer

Category scaling methods do not force supervisors to rank subordinates against one another; rather, they involve rating employees on a scale for various categories of performance. It is the forced distribution method that requires ranking employees against each other.

Question 11

The practical effect of the halo and horns effect is that the rater makes generalizations about the subordinate based on only one aspect of their job performance.

Accepted Answer

The halo effect and the horns effect can cause a rater to make overall evaluations of a subordinate based on one particular aspect of their job performance, leading to generalizations and potentially biased assessments.

Question 12

A performance management system can be effective even if organizational employees do not generally regard it as fair.

Accepted Answer

For a performance management system to be effective, it is crucial that employees perceive it as fair. If employees view the system as biased or unfair, it can lead to decreased motivation, engagement, and productivity, undermining the system's effectiveness.

Question 13

At the present time,WilburAviation has an effective performance appraisal system in place for its employees.It does not train hourly employees who are promoted to supervisor because they have been through many appraisal cycles themselves and have internalized the company's process.This is an acceptable practice because managers and supervisors tend to "repeat the past" and evaluate their subordinates as they have been evaluated.

Accepted Answer

Effective performance appraisal systems are not a substitute for training new supervisors. Training is essential to equip promoted hourly employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their new roles effectively, including how to conduct appraisals properly.

Question 14

One of the advantages of the forced distribution approach to performance appraisal is that it can be used in workplaces that have small numbers of employees.

Accepted Answer

The forced distribution approach requires a large enough sample size to be effective in identifying a normal distribution of performance levels. Therefore, it is not suitable for small workplaces with limited employee populations.

Question 15

At the end of a negative performance appraisal interview,it is essential that both the manager and the subordinate agree in all areas of the review,otherwise a true "meeting of the minds" has not occurred and the employee will not change his or her behavior.

Accepted Answer

It is not always necessary for the manager and the subordinate to agree on all areas of the review. It is more important for the manager to clearly communicate areas that need improvement and develop a plan of action with the employee. While agreement may facilitate the process, it is not the ultimate goal.

Question 16

Although BARS systems are time-consuming to develop,they are cost-effective in the long run because the same appraisal form can be used for broad job families in an organization,such as all technical jobs and all administrative jobs.

Accepted Answer

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) are highly specific to particular job roles due to their focus on behaviors critical to effective performance in those roles, making it difficult to use the same form across broad job families without customization.

Question 17

Since the data pertinent to the employee's performance has been collected and evaluated before the performance appraisal interview is held,it is too late at that point to correct misunderstandings and mistakes.

Accepted Answer

If misunderstandings and mistakes are identified during the performance appraisal interview, they can be discussed and corrected. However, it is best to address these issues as soon as possible to prevent them from becoming larger problems.

Question 18

Tasha,a Boston native,is the director of benefits for a large manufacturing firm in the Northeast.Tasha has given Walt a below-average performance appraisal because she feels Walt's languid Alabama drawl indicates he is not very bright.In this case,the director has committed the different-from-me rating error.

Accepted Answer

The different-from-me rating error is a bias where a person is judged negatively based on characteristics that differ from the evaluator's characteristics. In this case, Tasha is negatively judging Walt based on his accent, which is different from her own. This is an example of the different-from-me rating error.

Question 19

The primacy effect occurs when a rater gives greater weight to events that have happened in the near past when appraising an individual's performance.

Accepted Answer

The primacy effect refers to the tendency to remember information that was presented first, better than information that comes later. The phenomenon you described is known as the recency effect.

Question 20

In the essay approach to performance appraisal,the manager has more flexibility than in other appraisal methods and can provide highly detailed information about the subordinate being rated.

Accepted Answer

In an essay approach, the manager has more flexibility to provide detailed information about the subordinate's strengths, weaknesses, and areas needing improvement. This method allows the manager to give a more comprehensive evaluation of the employee's performance.

Quiz 10: Performance Management and Appraisal