Deck 10: Managing Employees Performance

Question 1

In a performance appraisal,the term validity refers to whether the appraisal measures all aspects of performance,both relevant and irrelevant.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

While rating attributes of individuals,measurement of attributes is rarely linked to the organization's strategy.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The paired-comparison method measures the consistency of results over time.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Performance management systems are established to meet three broad purposes of the organization: strategic,administrative,and developmental.

Question 5

Appraisal politics are most likely to occur when a performance appraisal is directly linked to highly desirable rewards.

Question 6

Using an employee's manager for feedback is very useful because managers' own success depends so much on their employees' performance.

Question 7

Management by objectives (MBO)links employee performance with the organization's strategic goals.

Question 8

Peer reviews are an excellent source of information about performance in a job where the supervisor does not often observe the employee.

Question 9

Behavioral approaches to performance measurement,such as organizational behavior modification and rating scales,tend to be biased.

Question 10

Compared to a behavioral observation scale (BOS),a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)makes it easier for providing feedback,maintaining objectivity,and suggesting training needs.

Question 11

Performance management requires knowing what activities and outputs are desired,observing whether they occur,and providing feedback to help employees meet expectations.

Question 12

To rate employee behaviors,an organization begins by defining which behaviors are associated with the employee's personality traits.

Question 13

Organizational behavior modification (OBM)is a plan for managing the behavior of employees through an informal system of feedback and reinforcement.

Question 14

A disadvantage of behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)is that it can bias a manager's memory.

Question 15

In order to minimize distributional errors,raters should use only one part of the rating scale.

Question 16

Traditional performance management differs from total quality management (TQM)in that it assesses both individual performance and the system within which the individual works.

Question 17

Self-appraisals are appropriate as the basis for administrative decisions.

Question 18

In the simple ranking method of performance measurement,managers rank employees in their group from the highest performer to the poorest performer.

Question 19

The critical-incident method requires managers to keep a record of specific examples of the employee acting in ways that are either effective or ineffective.

Question 20

The paired-comparison method involves comparing each employee with each other employee to establish rankings.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true of effective performance management?

A) It can tell top performers they are valued.
B) It can evaluate employees without establishing standards.
C) It averts communication between managers and their employees.
D) It uses just one person as a source of information.
E) It does not affect employees who meet expectations.

Question 22

Which of the following is the first step in performance management process?

A) evaluating performance
B) developing employee goals,behavior,and actions to achieve outcomes
C) providing consequences for performance results
D) defining performance outcomes for company division and department
E) identifying improvements needed

Question 23

Crimson Inc.is conducting their annual performance review process for employees.The company uses a tool that measures entrepreneurial behavior,and found there was a lot of irrelevant information that was also gathered.The irrelevant information gathered from the results is termed _____.

A) deficiency
B) validity
C) contamination
D) specificity
E) reliability

Question 24

Antonio,a vice president of human resources,wants to ensure that his company's performance management process is effective,so he sets up an annual review of the process.What should that review measure?

A) whether the performance management process includes all seven steps
B) whether performance discussions are taking place annually
C) how well performance standards are tailored to each individual employee
D) whether measures of individual performance support the department's and company's objectives
E) how effectively the company has defined performance management as an event,not a process

Question 25

In performance appraisal,_____ refers to whether an appraisal measures all the relevant aspects of performance and omits irrelevant aspects of performance.

A) contamination
B) reliability
C) acceptability
D) validity
E) interrater reliability

Question 26

Lawsuits filed against performance management usually involve charges of discrimination or unjust dismissal.

Question 27

In a "tell-and-sell" approach,managers tell the employees their ratings and then justify those ratings.

Question 28

Miguel,the HR manager at A1 Appliances,is preparing a newly promoted employee for her role as a supervisor.In his experience,he will need to address the new supervisor's nervousness about conducting performance appraisals.What is the most likely cause of this nervousness?

A) Performance feedback must be aligned with the company's strategy.
B) A performance evaluation can help supervisors decide how to develop employees' skills.
C) Effective performance feedback makes employees aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
D) Performance management supports administrative decisions that have a great impact on employees.
E) Performance management starts with defining what the organization expects from employees.

Question 29

In the context of effectiveness of performance management,_____ means the extent to which a measurement tool actually measures what it is intended to measure.

A) validity
B) dependability
C) acceptability
D) reliability
E) specificity

Question 30

The content of feedback is more effective when it is directed toward personalities.

Question 31

_____ is the process through which managers ensure that employees' activities and outputs contribute to the organization's goals.

A) Quality analysis
B) Administrative planning
C) Project management
D) Strategic planning
E) Performance management

Question 32

Vanessa is the purchasing manager at General Things,a maker of housewares.She has evaluated the first year's performance of Hunter,a purchasing agent.In the evaluation,she noted that he places orders accurately,but when employees in the company ask about the status of their orders,he has difficulty finding the information for them in a timely manner.What should be the next step in performance management in this situation?

A) Vanessa should define new performance outcomes that do not include checking order status.
B) Hunter should develop more realistic goals that do not include checking order status.
C) Vanessa and Hunter should set new performance standards that are more realistic.
D) Vanessa should arrange for training so Hunter can learn how to look up the status of orders.
E) Vanessa should provide Hunter with ongoing performance feedback.

Question 33

Bailey,an HR manager,is coaching a supervisor who needs to develop her leadership skills.Bailey suggests that the supervisor use performance feedback as a tool for the development of her employees.Which of the following actions would be an example of this purpose of performance feedback?

A) The supervisor limits performance feedback to formal appraisals conducted once a year.
B) The supervisor uses performance information for day-to-day decisions about salary,benefits,and recognition programs.
C) The supervisor uses performance measures to guide decisions about employee retention and termination.
D) The supervisor uses performance measures to identify assignments that will help employees build on their strengths.
E) The supervisor makes sure each employee's goals are aligned with the company's and department's objectives.

Question 34

Which of the following is the last step in performance management process?

A) defining performance outcomes for company division and department
B) identifying improvements needed
C) developing employee goals,behavior,and actions to achieve outcomes
D) evaluating performance
E) providing consequences for performance results

Question 35

The ways in which organizations use the system to provide information for day-to-day decisions about salary,benefits,and recognition programs falls under the _____ purpose of a performance management system.

A) structured
B) developmental
C) strategic
D) administrative
E) deciding

Question 36

The requirements for job success are clearly communicated to employees to protect against lawsuits.

Question 37

"Performance management serves as a basis for improving employees' knowledge and skills." This statement corresponds to which of the following purposes of performance management?

A) developmental purpose
B) administrative purpose
C) investigative purpose
D) strategic purpose
E) executive purpose

Question 38

Breanna is the new HR manager at Cummins Castings.She meets with the company's leaders to discuss how she intends to support business objectives.Breanna tells them that Cummins has a performance management process that delivers reliable information,but it needs to be more strategic.Which of the following actions would best make performance management more strategic?

A) telling managers not to feel uncomfortable when appraisal information is negative
B) using appraisal information to support decisions related to employee retention and termination
C) using appraisal information as a basis for developing employees' knowledge and skills
D) setting individual performance measures that are linked to the organization's goals
E) making employees aware of their strengths and areas in which they can improve

Question 39

The improvement of an employee's performance varies according to the employee's ability and level of motivation.

Question 40

In the context of validity in performance appraisal,information that is gathered but irrelevant is called _____.

A) feedback
B) knowledge
C) concatenation
D) adjunct
E) contamination

Question 41

Margaret,a production manager at Falcon Inc. ,needs to measure the performance of 12 of her subordinates.She divides the number of employees into categories like exceptional,above average,average,and below average.She assigns a certain percentage of employees to each category to determine the quality of their performances.In the context of methods for measuring performance,Margaret is using the _____ method.

A) alternation ranking
B) rating attribute
C) mixed-standard
D) paired-comparison
E) forced-distribution

Question 42

Charles,the HR manager at Telcare Inc. ,establishes a performance management system for his company.He wants to check the consistency of results over time.In the context of criteria for determining the effectiveness of performance measures,Charles is trying to check the _____ of the performance management system.

A) validity
B) test-retest reliability
C) specificity
D) interrater reliability
E) acceptability

Question 43

Salman,a production manager at Telecal Inc. ,needs to measure the performance of 10 subordinates.He writes their names on a paper and circles Karim's name as the best-performing employee of the group.He then circles Dillon's name as the worst employee of the group.He rates the remaining employees as second best,second worst,and so on.In the context of methods of performance measurement,Salman is using the _____ method.

A) forced-distribution
B) alternation ranking
C) graphic rating
D) mixed-standard
E) critical-incident

Question 44

The _____ method of performance measurement uses several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait.

A) behaviorally anchored rating scale
B) mixed-standard scale
C) behavioral observation scale
D) graphic rating scale
E) behavior-response scale

Question 45

Bill and Nancy,managers at Sanzen Inc. ,want to the check the consistency of results for a performance measure that uses ratings by a supervisor.They want to know if different supervisors would rate the same behavior the same way.In the context of criteria for effective performance management,Bill and Nancy are interested in the measure's _____.

A) validity
B) test-retest reliability
C) specificity
D) interrater reliability
E) accountability

Question 46

Which of the following helps performance management meet the goals of supporting strategy and developing employees?

A) strategic fit
B) specific feedback
C) overall opinion
D) employee orientation
E) generalized instruction

Question 47

In the context of performance management,which of the following terms refers to a measure that obtains consistency of results over time?

A) validity
B) interrater reliability
C) acceptability
D) test-retest reliability
E) specificity

Question 48

Payne Corp.wants to assess the performance of its employees.It uses a questionnaire that has a usually high fit with strategy,usually high validity,usually high reliability,moderate acceptability,and very high specificity.Which of the following approaches to employee performance is being focused on by this questionnaire?

A) results
B) quality
C) behavioral
D) comparative
E) attribute

Question 49

In the context of methods for measuring performance,alternation ranking is a variation of _____ ranking.

A) simple
B) distributed
C) paired
D) attribute
E) scalar

Question 50

Lily,a manager at Pyramid Inc. ,uses a rating tool to evaluate the performance of her subordinates.However,she finds that the scale she used did not yield consistent results and could not determine if a change had taken place in the performance of the employees.Which of the following was lacking in the rating scale?

A) validity
B) acceptability
C) reliability
D) transparency
E) specificity

Question 51

When Ziggurat Enterprises was preparing to roll out a new performance management system,Jenna,the human resource executive,insisted that for the new system to succeed,they must first explain it to employees.Jenna said employees need to perceive the system as fair.Why would this effort make the performance management system more effective?

A) The employees who receive feedback must believe that the process of preparing it was not too time consuming.
B) Specific feedback helps meet the goals of supporting strategy and developing employees.
C) Low interrater reliability means the rating will differ depending on who is scoring the employees.
D) When employees see performance measures as fair,they are likelier to apply the feedback.
E) A measurement tool should accurately measure what it was designed to measure.

Question 52

The human resource department of Bio-Pharma Enterprises brings in a consultant to evaluate its performance management system.The consultant says he evaluated the validity of the system's performance measures and identified some deficiencies.What does the consultant mean?

A) Some attitudes that are being measured are unrelated to success on the job.
B) Results gathered in certain ways are inconsistent from one rater to another.
C) Results gathered in certain ways are inconsistent over time.
D) Some behaviors that contribute to business success are not being measured.
E) The performance measures are too vague to provide useful guidance.

Question 53

Paul is a manager at Firefly Corp. ,and he uses a rating approach to evaluate his employees.He considers one employee at a time and circles a number or a word to signify the degree to which that employee demonstrates a particular trait in the scale.Which of the following approaches is Paul using to assess his employees?

A) mixed-standard scale
B) critical-incident approach
C) graphic rating scale
D) behavioral observation scale
E) behaviorally anchored rating scale

Question 54

Joseph,a supervisor at H2O Chemicals Inc. ,needs to assess the behavior of 25 people,who constitute a large group of his subordinates.Which of the following methods combines ease of use with objectivity and a basis for providing feedback?

A) a behavioral observation scale
B) organizational behavior modification
C) a behaviorally anchored rating scale
D) the critical-incident method
E) behaviorism

Question 55

Donna,a supervisor at Cenate Inc. ,wants to compare the performance of her employees.If she does this by listing the employees from best to worst performer,which of the following terms describes her method?

A) simple ranking
B) mixed-standards scale
C) critical-incident method
D) graphic rating scale
E) organizational behavior modification

Question 56

Identify a true statement about the mixed-standard scale.

A) It is intended to define performance dimensions specifically using statements of behavior that describe different levels of performance.
B) It uses several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait.
C) It may use 15 behaviors to define levels of performance.
D) It lists traits and provides a rating scale for each trait.
E) It involves comparing each employee with each other employee to establish rankings.

Question 57

Identify the statement that accurately characterizes behavioral approaches to performance measurement.

A) they link the company's goals to the specific behavior required to achieve those goals
B) they work well for complex jobs.
C) they provide little feedback on areas of improvement
D) they have a low degree of validity and reliability
E) they have a low degree of acceptability

Question 58

The _____ performance management method requires managers to rate the frequency with which an employee has exhibited a behavior during a rating period.

A) behaviorally anchored rating scale
B) behavioral observation scale
C) graphic rating scale
D) mixed-standard scale
E) forced-distribution scale

Question 59

James was recently made the manager of his department at Patches Inc.He has to evaluate his subordinates' behavior in the next two weeks and is unsure if he should use the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)or the behavioral observation scale (BOS)to assess their behavior.Which of the following characteristics of the two would help James decide the scale that would be most appropriate for him to use?

A) A BARS asks the manager to rate the frequency with which the employee has exhibited the behavior during the rating period.
B) A BOS discards many items in creating the rating scale.
C) A BOS uses many instances to define the behaviors necessary for effective performance.
D) A BARS is represented by ease of use and maintains objectivity efficiently.
E) A BARS requires a large amount of information as compared to BOS.

Question 60

Ray,the CEO of Textiles Inc. ,believes the goals of the company must be divided into smaller departmental and individual goals.The accomplishment of these smaller goals will allow employees at all levels to contribute to accomplishment of the bigger goals of the company.In the context of measuring performance results,Ray's belief can be best justified using _____.

A) total quality management
B) the behavioral observational scale method
C) the critical-incident method
D) statistical quality control
E) management by objectives

Question 61

Komali,the founder of Astro Computing,believes in employee empowerment,so as soon as she began hiring managers,she made subordinate reviews part of her company's performance appraisal system.However,she and her human resource manager have realized that the managers don't always place enough emphasis on efficiency and results,perhaps out of fear that their employees will give them lower ratings.What would be the best way for Astro Computing to use subordinate feedback?

A) Discontinue subordinate feedback,because it has undesirable consequences.
B) Require that the employees giving subordinate feedback identify themselves.
C) Give the employees greater opportunities to observe the behavior of their manager.
D) Use the results of subordinate feedback to identify avenues for employee development.
E) Limit the information gathering by subordinates to short periods once a year.

Question 62

James,the production manager of Zenfax Inc. ,is writing a recommendation to begin gathering performance appraisal information from peers along with other sources of information.Which of the following statements best supports James's recommendation?

A) Information from peers adds little value to the assessment of performance.
B) Peers are comfortable rating employees for decisions that may affect themselves.
C) Peers typically share the manager's perspective of the employee being evaluated.
D) Peers have expert knowledge of job requirements.
E) Peers rarely observe an employee in day-to-day activities.

Question 63

The HR team at Gray Pharma is meeting to discuss ways to improve the validity of its performance management system.One staffer suggests adding customer evaluations of the sales representatives in order to gauge their impact on customer satisfaction and sales.What is the major challenge of this approach?

A) Customers have a tendency to inflate assessments of salespeople's performance.
B) The customers are the only people who directly observe a sales representative's performance.
C) The employees' jobs do not involved direct services to customer.
D) Customer evaluations could cost hundreds of dollars for each salesperson.
E) Information about customer satisfaction would be easier to gather from peers.

Question 64

When an employee evaluates his or her manager low on all performance criteria due to dissatisfaction with the manager's disposition,the employee has most likely committed a(n)_____.

A) error based on similarity
B) halo error
C) central tendency
D) horns error
E) contrast error

Question 65

Which of the following is an advantage of using results-oriented performance measurement?

A) It is very effective in providing guidance on how an employee can improve.
B) It is relatively easy to link to the organization's goals.
C) It is generally more subjective than other kinds of performance measurement.
D) It is highly acceptable to employees,but not to managers.
E) It tends to be highly valid.

Question 66

How can data analytics improve the measurement of employees' performance?

A) by training raters to look at many aspects of performance
B) by showing raters how errors affect their rating decisions
C) by preventing raters from making distributional errors
D) by finding patterns in an employee's behavior
E) by indicating all the circumstances,intentions,and outcomes associated with an employee's behavior

Question 67

Lydia,a supervisor at Sansen Inc. ,needs to appraise the performance of her subordinate,Charlie.In the context of performance information,which of the following is the least biased source of information for appraisal and why?

A) Peers;they often understand an employee better than superiors.
B) Managers;their success depends on the employee's productivity.
C) Customers;employees are often directly in contact with them.
D) Subordinates;the power relationships motivate a subordinate to provide honest information.
E) The employee himself;there is generally better agreement between an employee and his or her supervisor.

Question 68

When Xavier joined Big Tuna Corporation as its human resource manager,he was surprised to hear some of the executives repeatedly laughing over stories about how the company's founder ensured that his fraternity brothers moved into management positions.According to the stories,these employees had a routine of Friday-night drinks and basketball,during which time they painted rosy pictures of one another's accomplishments-stories that embellished the performance appraisals and influenced later staffing decisions.Xavier talked to some employees about performance management at Big Tuna and learned that the system was widely viewed as corrupt.What can Xavier do,besides discouraging the storytelling,to decrease the political behavior related to performance management?

A) He should learn to accept political behavior,because it occurs in every organization.
B) He should make sure that raters are accountable to each employee being evaluated.
C) He should make sure appraisal results are directly linked to highly desirable rewards.
D) He should persuade executives not to tolerate or ignore distorted ratings.
E) He should train managers to list only the accomplishments their employees are aware of.

Question 69

Subordinate evaluations are the most appropriate to use for which of the following purposes?

A) administrative
B) investigative
C) strategic
D) developmental
E) executive

Question 70

What is the name of the rating error that leads employees to believe that no aspect of their performance needs improvement?

A) contrast error
B) halo error
C) horn error
D) strictness error
E) central tendency error

Question 71

Clayton,a supervisor,needs to rate the performance of 20 subordinates.He uses a rating scale to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10.He rates 18 employees at 5,which leads to central tendency.In the context of types of rating errors,Clayton commits a _____ error.

A) distributional
B) contrast
C) horns
D) statistical
E) halo

Question 72

Jose,the human resource manager at Wind Chimes Inc. ,wants to use subordinates as sources of performance appraisal information.Which statement best supports that idea?

A) Subordinates often have reliable information about a manager's behavior toward employees.
B) Subordinates are often willing to say negative things about the person to whom they report.
C) When feedback forms need subordinates' names on them,the subordinates tend to give lower ratings to the manager.
D) When managers receive ratings from their subordinates,the employees have less power.
E) Subordinate evaluations are most appropriate for strategic purposes.

Question 73

Janet,a production manager,thinks management by objectives (MBO)is a good way to measure performance results of employees in an organization.What advantage does this method offer Janet?

A) The goals in this strategy are subjective.
B) Managers and employees set their own goals independently.
C) Management by objectives can have negative consequences on productivity.
D) MBO is relatively easy to link to the organization's goals.
E) MBO focuses narrowly on individual goals.

Question 74

Under which of the following circumstances is appraisal politics most likely to occur?

A) when top executives forbid distorted ratings
B) when the goals of rating are compatible with one another
C) when performance appraisal results are directly linked to developmental programs
D) when senior employees tell newcomers stories about distorted ratings
E) when performance appraisal is not directly linked to highly desirable rewards

Question 75

Cole,a vice president of human resources,recommends adding self-appraisals to the company's performance management system.The other executives wonder why,since people would certainly want to inflate scores of their own performance.Which of the following statements best supports Cole's idea of using self-appraisals?

A) Self-ratings are rarely used alone as the only source of information.
B) Differences between employees' self-ratings and peer's ratings can be fruitful topics for discussion.
C) Employees can wait until after a feedback session to evaluate their own performance.
D) Evaluating one's contributions gets employees thinking about their performance.
E) Self-appraisals are especially important when an employee's job requires direct service to customers.

Question 76

Barry,a human resource manager at Yenzen Hotels Inc. ,is considering the use of self-appraisals.Which statement describes a limitation on the validity of self-appraisals?

A) There are no disagreements between a manager and an employee when self-appraisal is used.
B) Self-rating is the most preferred source of performance appraisal information.
C) Employees have a tendency to inflate their self-assessments.
D) Self-appraisals serve as an ideal basis for administrative decisions.
E) Self-appraisals are necessary for a 360-degree performance appraisal.

Question 77

Oswald & Rutabaga,CPAs,brought in an HR consulting firm to evaluate the firm's performance management system.The firm has offices in six locations,and the manager of each location rates the office's staff members using a 5-point rating scale.After studying the appraisal results from the past three years,the consultants reported that they cannot make comparisons among the offices.Which of the following is the most likely problem?

A) The consultants aren't qualified to analyze this type of rating system.
B) One office has exceptional people,so contrast errors are occurring.
C) The managers let their opinion of one quality color their opinion of others.
D) The managers are making distributional errors,each using only part of the rating scale.
E) The managers tend to give higher ratings to people they consider similar to themselves.

Question 78

Jonathan,a supervisor,needs to assess Megan,a subordinate's,performance.He considers that Megan is reliable and meets all his requirements,so he will rate her as a good performer.But then Jonathan thinks about an exceptional employee,Sue,in his department,and decides that,compared with her,Megan is just average.In this way,Jonathan's rating is a _____ error.

A) horns
B) contrast
C) leniency
D) halo
E) distributional

Question 79

Jacinta,a production manager at Alphonso Inc. ,needs to evaluate the performance of her employees.She asks her subordinate,June,to carry out this job.June uses a rating scale,which ranges from 1 to 10,to rate 50 employees.She gives a score of 3 to 39 employees.In doing so,June commits a _____ error.

A) mean inclination
B) strictness
C) central tendency
D) halo effect
E) statistical

Question 80

Roberto,a manager at Z-Cart Inc. ,is asked by his manager to rate his subordinates' performances.He needs to rate 30 employees on a scale that ranges from 1 to 10.He rates 25 employees with a score of 8.In doing so,Roberto commits a rating error.In the context of types of rating errors,Roberto's mistake is called _____.

A) central tendency
B) halo error
C) horns error
D) leniency
E) statistical error