Question 1

Some organizations ask managers to place a percentage of their employees in the bottom performance category on every performance evaluation exercise, which in some cases may mean they are fired. Which type of performance appraisal method does this exemplify?
A) forced-distribution system
B) checklist method
C) percent method
D) forced-choice method

Accepted Answer

A forced-distribution system is a performance appraisal method where managers are required to place a certain percentage of employees in predetermined performance categories, such as top, middle, and bottom performers. In some cases, organizations may set a rule that a certain percentage of employees must be placed in the bottom category, which can lead to their termination. This approach is controversial because it can lead to unfair evaluations and demotivate employees.

Question 2

Which of the following is the primary limitation of the forced-choice method of appraisal?
A) It is expensive to initially develop.
B) Only highly trained raters can use the format.
C) It does not lend itself to peer and self-ratings.
D) It is expensive to establish and maintain its validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is the primary...

Question 3

TQM concerns have led to the increased use of which of the following?
A) manager/supervisor appraisals
B) team and customer performance appraisals
C) self-appraisals
D) subordinate appraisals

Accepted Answer

TQM (Total Quality Management) is a management philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and involvement of all employees in improving processes and products/services. One of the main principles of TQM is the involvement of customers and teams in the appraisal process, which helps to identify areas for improvement and set goals for performance. Therefore, the increased use of team and customer performance appraisals is a natural outcome of TQM implementation. While self and subordinate appraisals may also be used in a TQM context, they are not as central as team and customer appraisals. Manager/supervisor appraisals may be useful in some cases, but they may not fully capture the diverse perspectives and experiences of the team and customers.

Question 4

Self-appraisals are best for which of the following?
A) administrative purposes
B) developmental purposes
C) promotional purposes
D) regulatory purposes

Accepted Answer

Self-appraisals are best for developmental purposes, as they allow individuals to reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement and develop a plan for growth and development. They are not typically used for administrative, promotional, or regulatory purposes.

Question 5

If your primary objective for a performance appraisal is to give employees developmental feedback, which of the following appraisal methods should you use?
A) behavioural methods
B) results methods
C) trait methods
D) attitudinal methods

Accepted Answer

Behavioural methods focus on specific actions and behaviours demonstrated by the employee, making them ideal for providing developmental feedback. This type of appraisal method emphasizes what the employee is doing well and areas for improvement, allowing for specific and actionable feedback. Results methods, on the other hand, focus on outcomes and are less effective for providing feedback on how to improve performance. Trait methods and attitudinal methods may lead to subjective and potentially biased evaluations of the employee.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes a behaviourally anchored rating scale?
A) It typically has construct validity.
B) It typically has content validity.
C) It can be used to rate employees across many different jobs.
D) It costs the least to develop.

Accepted Answer

A behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS) typically has content validity, as it is designed to accurately assess specific job-related behaviours and competencies. BARS are not necessarily applicable across multiple job types, and may be more expensive to develop due to the need for input from subject matter experts to create the behavioural anchors. While BARS may have some construct validity, this is not a defining characteristic.

Question 7

Which of the following performance appraisal methods involves a mutual agreement of goals and metrics between supervisor and subordinate?
A) all behavioural methods
B) productivity measures
C) forced distribution
D) management by objectives

Accepted Answer

Management by objectives (MBO) involves a mutual agreement between supervisor and subordinate of specific, measurable goals and metrics that will be used to assess performance. This method is focused on setting and achieving specific objectives rather than just evaluating behaviors or comparing to others (forced distribution). Productivity measures may be part of an MBO system, but are not the defining feature of it.

Question 8

With which type of appraisal method would supervisors most likely be inclined to forgo needed maintenance on their equipment?
A) results methods
B) 360-degree appraisal
C) subordinate appraisal
D) trait methods

Accepted Answer

Results methods focus on outcomes and may lead supervisors to neglect equipment maintenance to achieve short-term results.

Question 9

Which rating format uses three specific behavioural descriptions relevant to each trait and then asks supervisors to evaluate whether an employee's behaviour is better than, equal to, or worse than the standard for each behaviour?
A) mixed-standard scale
B) forced-choice method
C) behaviourally anchored rating scale
D) behaviour observation scale

Accepted Answer

The mixed-standard scale uses three specific behavioural descriptions for each trait and asks supervisors to evaluate if an employee's behaviour is better than, equal to, or worse than the standard for each behaviour.

Question 10

Which of the following is an important weakness of 360-degree feedback?
A) In cases where feedback is not positive, it has been shown to increase voluntary turnover.
B) It is hard to know what to conclude if the appraisal results in conflicting opinions.
C) The quality of information is not as good as other types of appraisal systems.
D) The training can be demoralizing because it is so intense.

Accepted Answer

Conflicting opinions can make it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions and can lead to confusion when interpreting the results of 360-degree feedback.

Question 11

Which appraisal method helps guard against recency error?
A) critical incident method
B) forced-choice method
C) graphic rating scales
D) mixed-standard scale

Accepted Answer

The critical incident method involves gathering specific examples of an individual's performance, both positive and negative, and evaluating them. This approach helps guard against recency error by collecting incidents over a longer period of time, rather than focusing solely on recent events.

Question 12

The HR managers at Organization M are very keen to tie all their HR practices in with organizational strategy, and performance appraisal is no exception. They would like to make clear the link between individual performance and organizational performance. Which of the following is the best type of appraisal method for the HR managers at Organization M?
A) trait-based methods
B) results-based methods
C) behaviour-based methods
D) performance-based methods

Accepted Answer

Results-based methods, such as performance or objective-based appraisals, focus on measuring an employee's results, accomplishments, contributions to the organization, and how well these outcomes align with the organization's objectives. This type of appraisal method will help HR managers at Organization M to link individual performance with organizational performance.

Question 13

Which of the following is a major weakness of the behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS)?
A) Ratees are often offended by the anchors.
B) It takes a long time and a lot of effort to develop.
C) The anchors become outdated quickly because they are so specific.
D) It takes a long time to fill out.

Accepted Answer

Developing a BARS requires significant time and effort because it involves identifying critical incidents, developing performance dimensions, and creating specific behavioral anchors for each level of performance.

Question 14

In most instances, who is in the best position to perform the function of appraising an employee's performance?
A) someone from the HR department
B) a coworker
C) the employee
D) the employee's supervisor

Accepted Answer

The employee's supervisor is typically in the best position to appraise their performance, as they work closely with the employee and can provide specific feedback and insights into their job performance. HR professionals may provide guidance and support in the appraisal process, but may not have the same level of insight into the day-to-day performance of the employee. Coworkers may provide useful feedback, but may not have the same level of authority or knowledge of the expectations for the employee's role. While the employee can provide self-assessment and input, their perspective may be limited and may not provide the same level of objective feedback as a supervisor or other evaluator.

Question 15

Which of the following appraisal sources is most useful when the manager and the employee jointly establish future performance goals for each employee?
A) team appraisal
B) peer appraisal
C) subordinate appraisal
D) self-appraisal

Accepted Answer

The self-appraisal source is most useful when the manager and the employee jointly establish future performance goals for each employee. In this case, the employee is in the best position to identify their strengths and weaknesses and set realistic goals for their performance improvement. Self-appraisal also provides an opportunity for the employee to reflect on their own performance and take ownership of their personal and professional development.

Question 16

Performance appraisal methods can be broadly classified as which of the following approaches?
A) trait, behavioural, and judgmental
B) trait, behavioural, and results
C) behavioural, judgmental, and results
D) behavioural, judgmental, and attitudinal

Accepted Answer

Performance appraisal methods can be classified into three approaches: trait-based, behavioural, and results-based. The trait-based approach focuses on personal characteristics or attributes, while behavioural methods assess the employee's actions and behaviours. Results-oriented approaches evaluate the employee's achievements and outcomes. The B option correctly identifies the three approaches as trait, behavioural, and results. The other options include attitudinal and judgmental, which are not widely recognized as separate approaches to performance appraisal.

Question 17

Every time Sandy makes a mistake at work, her manager writes it down in detail in her employee record. Sandy thinks this is a form of harassment. More likely, what is the manager trying to do?
A) collect information in order to build a BARS
B) substantiate her termination in case Sandy files a complaint
C) evaluate her performance
D) collect critical incidents

Accepted Answer

The answer of Every time Sandy makes a mistake at...

Question 18

Which of the following uses critical incidents as examples of different points along the scale?
A) the mixed-standard scale
B) the global rating
C) the behaviourally anchored rating scale
D) dimensional rating

Accepted Answer

The behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS) uses critical incidents as examples of different points along the scale to provide a more specific and precise evaluation of an employee's performance. The other options do not use critical incidents in this way.

Question 19

Which of the following is a major advantage of a behaviourally anchored rating scale?
A) It requires a great deal of employee participation, which leads to acceptance.
B) The rating scale can be used across many jobs.
C) It takes a relatively short time to develop.
D) It allows the appraiser to observe rather than judge.

Accepted Answer

It requires a great deal of employee participation, which leads to acceptance.

Question 20

What advantage do peer appraisals have over other types of appraisals?
A) Peers know the job better than most managers do.
B) Peers do not have a conflict of interest over honestly appraising a fellow employee.
C) Peers may have a more intimate view of the performance of fellow employees.
D) Peers don't have to worry about meeting standards for distributions.

Accepted Answer

Peers often work closely with each other and can provide a more detailed and intimate view of a colleague's performance, which managers might not observe.

Quiz 8: Performance Management and the Employee Appraisal Process

Some organizations ask managers to place a percentage of their employees in the bottom performance category on every performance evaluation exercise, which in some cases may mean they are fired. Which type of performance appraisal method does this exemplify?

Which of the following is the primary limitation of the forced-choice method of appraisal?

TQM concerns have led to the increased use of which of the following?

Self-appraisals are best for which of the following?

If your primary objective for a performance appraisal is to give employees developmental feedback, which of the following appraisal methods should you use?

Which of the following best describes a behaviourally anchored rating scale?

Which of the following performance appraisal methods involves a mutual agreement of goals and metrics between supervisor and subordinate?

With which type of appraisal method would supervisors most likely be inclined to forgo needed maintenance on their equipment?

Which rating format uses three specific behavioural descriptions relevant to each trait and then asks supervisors to evaluate whether an employee's behaviour is better than, equal to, or worse than the standard for each behaviour?

Which of the following is an important weakness of 360-degree feedback?

Which appraisal method helps guard against recency error?

Which of the following is a major weakness of the behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS) ?

In most instances, who is in the best position to perform the function of appraising an employee's performance?

Which of the following appraisal sources is most useful when the manager and the employee jointly establish future performance goals for each employee?

Performance appraisal methods can be broadly classified as which of the following approaches?

Every time Sandy makes a mistake at work, her manager writes it down in detail in her employee record. Sandy thinks this is a form of harassment. More likely, what is the manager trying to do?

Which of the following uses critical incidents as examples of different points along the scale?

Which of the following is a major advantage of a behaviourally anchored rating scale?

What advantage do peer appraisals have over other types of appraisals?