Question 1

________ are a measure of the goals achieved through a work process.

Accepted Answer

Results directly measure the goals achieved through a work process. Behaviors may contribute to achieving those goals, products may be produced as a result, and incentives may motivate individuals to achieve goals, but only results directly measure the success of a work process.

Question 2

During his performance appraisal,Julian mentioned that he was having difficulty keeping client records up-to-date because the computer system was antiquated.As a result,the department decided to replace both the software and hardware in Julian's department.As a result,Julian's department's performance increased.This is an example of the _______ reason for conducting performance appraisals.

Accepted Answer

The example illustrates the communication reason for conducting performance appraisals, as Julian communicated the issues he was facing with the outdated computer system during his appraisal, leading to a decision to upgrade the system and improve department performance.

Question 3

Casey's performance appraisal indicated that she was good at managing client relationships.Casey asked her supervisor for more details and was simply told,"you just do a good job in that are a." What aspect of good performance appraisals does Casey's appraisal appear to be missing?

Accepted Answer

Casey's appraisal lacks specificity, as her supervisor did not provide any specific examples or details to support her performance in managing client relationships. A good performance appraisal should be specific and provide clear examples of the employee's strengths and areas for improvement.

Question 4

Brittney recently read that once-a-year performance appraisals are ineffective.In response,she is asking all her managers to begin providing monthly performance appraisals to all their employees.Each manager has 30 employees and balk at the idea of providing that many performance appraisals each month.What aspect of good performance appraisals does Brittney's plan appear to be missing?

Accepted Answer

The plan to provide monthly performance appraisals to all 30 employees may not be feasible for each manager due to the high volume of appraisals needed. This could lead to rushed and potentially ineffective appraisals, which defeats the purpose of more frequent evaluations. It would be more feasible to consider a smaller number of employees, or explore other options such as quarterly or bi-annual appraisals.

Question 5

Ryan's manager provided him with a performance appraisal that covered the past six months.Ryan asked his manager on what the appraisal was based.Ryan contends that his manager only came to Ryan's work area once or twice in the past six months and could not possible know enough about Ryan's work to write an appraisal.What aspect of good performance appraisals does Ryan's appraisal appear to be missing?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ryan's manager provided him with a performance...

Question 6

When using subordinates to evaluate employees' performance,________ must be maintained.

Accepted Answer

When subordinates are involved in evaluating employees' performance, maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure that sensitive information is not improperly disclosed or used in a way that could harm employee relations or privacy.

Question 7

Charlie beat his deadline three times this month.Kara,his supervisor,puts a note in his file,so she will remember his efforts during his performance evaluation later this year.Kara's note represents a ________________.

Accepted Answer

Kara's note represents a critical incident, which is a specific event or situation that highlights an employee's performance, whether positive or negative. In this case, the note is recognizing Charlie's exceptional performance in beating his deadline three times, which is worth remembering for his future evaluation. Choice B, complaint, does not fit the context of the scenario since there is no indication that Kara is expressing any dissatisfaction with Charlie's performance. Choice C, formal charge, is also inappropriate given that there is no indication of any wrongdoing or misconduct by Charlie. Lastly, choice D, promotion, is not appropriate either since there is no indication that Charlie is getting a promotion at this point.

Question 8

Allison found several job duties that were listed on her subordinate's job description which are no longer part of the job.Also,the company recently updated its strategic plan.Based on the new plan,Allison will add some related job duties to her subordinate's job and communicate with her subordinate about the changes. Allison is engaged in ________.

Accepted Answer

Performance management involves the ongoing process of setting goals, providing feedback, and evaluating performance. In this case, Allison is engaged in performance management because she is updating her subordinate's job description based on the company's new strategic plan and communicating the changes to her subordinate.

Question 9

At Acme Global,customer service is an important priority.However,Michael's latest performance appraisal focused on his lack of critical thinking and his lack of knowledge of the company's technology.What aspect of good performance appraisals does Michael's appraisal appear to be missing?

Accepted Answer

Michael's appraisal is not based on the company's mission and objectives, which should be a key aspect of good performance appraisals. While valid, accepted, and feasible are also important factors, they do not address the specific issue of aligning performance with the company's goals and values.

Question 10

Samuel's supervisor is reviewing his attendance and punctuality record as part of an annual evaluation.This type of evaluation is known as a _________ appraisal.

Accepted Answer

Attendance and punctuality are behavioral factors that can be observed and measured, making it appropriate to use behavior appraisal in this case. Trait appraisal involves assessing an individual's character or personality traits, while results appraisal focuses on the outcomes of an employee's work. Statistical appraisal involves using data and metrics to evaluate performance. None of these are as applicable as behavior appraisal for evaluating attendance and punctuality.

Question 11

Sean has two supervisors who both provide appraisals on Sean's performance.On a scale of 1-5,both supervisors gave Sean a 4.2.It is likely that Sean's performance appraisal is __________.

Accepted Answer

Both supervisors providing the same appraisal score indicates that the appraisal is reliable, meaning that it produces consistent results. Validity refers to the accuracy of the appraisal, specificity refers to the level of detail in the appraisal, and feasibility refers to the practicality of conducting the appraisal.

Question 12

Max is evaluating Murray's performance by using data about accounts that Murray manages.Murray maintained 100% of his existing accounts,and added additional services to 35% of his existing accounts.Max is evaluating Murray using a __________ appraisal.

Accepted Answer

Max is evaluating Murray based on the results he achieved in maintaining his existing accounts and adding additional services to 35% of them. This type of appraisal focuses on the outcomes or results achieved by the employee and is called a results appraisal.

Question 13

Adam evaluates everyone in his department as "average" - no one is a great employee,but no one is a bad employee,either.Adam is exhibiting a distributional error known as ________________ in his evaluations.

Accepted Answer

Adam is exhibiting central tendency error, which occurs when evaluators avoid giving extreme ratings and instead rate all employees as average. This can lead to inaccurate evaluations and can also discourage high performers from continuing to excel in their role.

Question 14

Some evaluation items like attitude,initiative,and promotability are difficult to measure _______.

Accepted Answer

Attitude, initiative and promotability are subjective traits that are based on personal opinions and beliefs, making it difficult to measure them objectively.

Question 15

When a manager makes an evaluative decision,such as who should be recognized as 'Employee of the Month' or who gets a promotion,they are __________________ their employees.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When a manager makes an evaluative decision,such...

Question 16

Jungmin's job as a biomedical engineer involves conducting research on the engineering aspects of the biological systems.Most important are his written reports on his findings.Jungmin's supervisor based Jungmin's performance appraisal on the reports.It is likely that Jungmin's performance appraisal is _________.

Accepted Answer

Since Jungmin's performance is based on his written reports on his research findings, it is likely that his performance appraisal is valid, as it directly reflects the quality of his work. The other options (reliability, based on mission and objectives, and feasibility) may also play a role in performance appraisal, but in this case, the emphasis on written reports suggests a focus on validity.

Question 17

When evaluating employees based on behaviors,we are assessing them based on ________.

Accepted Answer

When evaluating employees based on behaviors, we are assessing the things they say and do. Attitudes and opinions are internal and may not necessarily translate into behaviors. The things employees think may also not necessarily be reflected in their behaviors. Therefore, the best choice is D - the things they say and do.

Question 18

Alyssa's manager has asked her to complete a review of Alyssa's past six months on the job.Next week,Alyssa will sit down with her manager to go over the review and receive her manager's feedback on her work for the past six months. Alyssa and her manager are engaged in ________.

Accepted Answer

The situation described is a performance appraisal, which involves the review and assessment of an employee's performance over a specific period of time. Performance management involves ongoing communication and development of an employee's skills and goals, while performance monitoring involves tracking and observing performance on a regular basis. Performance planning involves setting goals and objectives for an employee's future performance.

Question 19

Tammy is evaluating employees on the 2nd shift.Sara,whose son attends Tammy's alma mater,receives a higher ranking than her peers.Tammy is exhibiting _________ toward Sara,which affects the outcome of the evaluation.

Accepted Answer

Bias refers to a preconceived and often unfair preference towards a particular person or group. In this case, Tammy's evaluation of Sara is influenced by her personal connection to her alma mater, rather than an objective evaluation of her performance on the job. This bias affects the outcome of the evaluation, as Sara may receive a higher ranking than her peers despite their actual job performance. Discrimination (B) refers to unjust treatment of individuals or groups based on their membership in a particular category (e.g. race, gender), which is not mentioned in the scenario. Consistency (C) refers to the reliability and repeatability of the evaluation process, which is not relevant to Tammy's bias towards Sara. Hostility (D) refers to a negative attitude or behavior towards another person, which is not mentioned in the scenario.

Question 20

Richard received a low score on his performance appraisal because he did not create project-specific data management plans as part of his job as a clinical data manager.However,Richard has not received training on creating such plans and will likely get a low score on this part of his appraisal again next year.This suggests Richard's appraisal falls short of which reason for conducting performance appraisals?

Accepted Answer

Performance appraisals should communicate expectations and provide feedback to help employees improve. Richard's appraisal did not address his lack of training, failing to communicate how he can meet expectations.

Quiz 8: Performance Management and Appraisal