Question 1

Employee performance can be rated by anyone familiar with the performance of the individual.Consequently,customer ratings can provide good sources of performance appraisal information for employees with extensive customer contact.

Accepted Answer

Customer ratings can be a valuable source of performance appraisal information for employees who interact with customers regularly. As customers interact with the employee on a regular basis, they can provide valuable feedback on the employee's performance and help identify areas for improvement. This type of feedback can be especially useful for employees who work in customer service, sales, or other customer-facing roles. So, the given statement is true.

Question 2

Ready-Vet,Inc.,has a performance-driven organizational culture.All other factors being equal,it is likely that it will have higher financial performance than its chief rival,Vet-Tex,Inc.,that has an entitlement culture.

Accepted Answer

A performance-driven organizational culture places emphasis on achieving objectives, taking risks, and promoting innovation, which can lead to higher financial performance. An entitlement culture, on the other hand, emphasizes entitlements, status quo, and complacency which can hinder financial performance. Therefore, all other factors being equal, Ready-Vet, Inc. is likely to have higher financial performance than its chief rival, Vet-Tex, Inc., which has an entitlement culture.

Question 3

If an organization does not have clear organizational objectives,it is impossible to have an effective performance management system.

Accepted Answer

Without clear organizational objectives, it would be difficult to set goals and measure performance against those goals. A performance management system relies on clear objectives to evaluate individual and team performance, provide feedback, and improve overall organizational effectiveness.

Question 4

The trend is for HR performance management specialists to conduct performance appraisals for exempt-level employees because of widespread problems with supervisor-rater bias.

Accepted Answer

Performance appraisals are typically conducted by an employee's direct supervisor rather than HR performance management specialists. While HR may provide frameworks, training, or oversight to ensure fairness and reduce bias, the direct supervisor usually has the most insight into the employee's performance and is therefore the primary evaluator.

Question 5

The two roles of appraisal,administrative decision making and development often conflict,so the developmental role is gradually being absorbed into the HR function of training and employee development and removed from the supervisor's responsibility.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The two roles of appraisal,administrative decision making...

Question 6

Subjective measures of performance that require judgment on the part of the evaluator are more difficult to determine than are objective measures.

Accepted Answer

Subjective measures of performance depend on the personal judgment or opinion of the evaluator, which can be influenced by various factors such as biases and individual perspectives. Therefore, they are often more difficult to determine accurately and objectively than objective measures, which are based on measurable and quantifiable data.

Question 7

If the organization's performance appraisal system is flawed,there are negative effects on the compensation system,job placement decisions,and the ability to defend the organization against charges of discrimination.

Accepted Answer

If the performance appraisal system is flawed, it can lead to inaccurate evaluations of employee performance, which can then impact compensation decisions and job placements. Additionally, if the system is discriminatory in nature, the organization may face legal challenges related to discrimination.

Question 8

The use of non-numerical performance standards are a sign of a flawed performance appraisal system.

Accepted Answer

Non-numerical performance standards can be used in a performance appraisal system to assess qualities such as communication skills, teamwork, and leadership abilities. While numerical performance standards may be easier to quantify and track, they may not accurately capture all aspects of an employee's performance. Therefore, the use of non-numerical performance standards does not necessarily indicate a flawed performance appraisal system.

Question 9

Many court decisions have upheld the use of trait-based performance appraisals if the traits are clearly quantifiable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many court decisions have upheld the use...

Question 10

If a performance appraisal system faces a legal challenge because there is evidence of disparate impact on protected classes,management could defend against this challenge by showing that supervisors were given wide discretion in how they applied evaluation criteria.

Accepted Answer

Giving supervisors wide discretion in applying evaluation criteria may actually reinforce the possibility of unconscious bias and discrimination. To defend against a legal challenge of disparate impact, management would need to show that the performance appraisal system is job-related and consistent with business necessity. This may include conducting a validation study or adjusting the criteria to eliminate any potential bias.

Question 11

Poorly-designed pay-for-performance systems could cause high-performing employees to leave the organization because of perceived inequity.

Accepted Answer

Poorly-designed pay-for-performance systems can result in unfairness and perceived inequity among high-performing employees, which can lead to their dissatisfaction and ultimately result in their departure from the organization.

Question 12

Amanda makes notes about each of her subordinates' exceptionally good and poor performance in a performance log.If Amanda subsequently recommends that an employee be terminated,this performance log would serve as documentation in court.

Accepted Answer

Amanda's performance log would serve as documentation in court if she recommends an employee to be terminated. This documentation would help support her decision and explain why the employee was terminated.

Question 13

One reason that employees take ethical shortcuts in the pursuit of organizational profits is that performance appraisal systems cannot be structured in a way to penalize unethical behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Performance appraisal systems can and should be structured in a way that penalizes unethical behavior, such as including ethical standards and behavior as an evaluation criteria and providing consequences for unethical behavior. The lack of penalties for unethical behavior may contribute to a culture that tolerates or even encourages such behavior.

Question 14

One advantage of having supervisors and managers rated by their subordinates is that this type of rating program can help make the managers more responsive to employees.

Accepted Answer

When supervisors and managers are rated by their subordinates, they become more aware of the employees' perspectives and concerns. This can lead to increased responsiveness and a better understanding of their employees' needs. As a result, it can improve communication, foster better relationships, and ultimately lead to a more productive work environment.

Question 15

SolarFire Alternative Energy has grown so rapidly in the last five years that the HR director has not been able to keep job descriptions up-to-date.As long as SolarFire managers conduct formal performance evaluations based on documented performance data,there should be no problem if a terminated employee makes a claim of discrimination in performance appraisal.

Accepted Answer

If job descriptions are not up-to-date, it can lead to unclear performance expectations and potential bias in performance evaluations. This can increase the risk of a terminated employee making a claim of discrimination in performance appraisal. Therefore, it is important for HR to keep job descriptions up-to-date to minimize this risk.

Question 16

At Minotaur Consulting,consultants are evaluated primarily on the dollar amount of client revenue they generate each month.This makes unethical behavior by the consultants a concern.

Accepted Answer

If consultants are primarily evaluated on the dollar amount of client revenue they generate, this could incentivize them to engage in unethical behavior such as pushing unnecessary services onto clients, misleading clients about the benefits of particular services, or overcharging clients. This is a concern that Minotaur Consulting should address.

Question 17

If a supervisor is considering recommending that an employee be terminated for poor performance,the supervisor should make certain that performance appraisals of this employee are well-documented.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a supervisor is considering recommending that...

Question 18

Bringing in an outside consultant to interpret peer/team ratings is one way to overcome the tendency of some employees to attack one another in the ratings.

Accepted Answer

Bringing in an outside consultant can provide an objective perspective and help ensure a fair and constructive evaluation process. Additionally, the consultant can facilitate discussions and provide guidance on how to address any potential conflicts or issues that arise during the rating process.

Question 19

The purpose of developmental feedback is to clarify to employees how their performance compares with the performance of their co-workers.

Accepted Answer

The purpose of developmental feedback is to give specific feedback to employees regarding their strengths and areas for improvement in order to support their development and growth. It is not solely for comparison with co-workers.

Question 20

Research on performance appraisal has shown that it is most effective for the manager to give the employee information about pay decisions immediately in the performance appraisal interview,leaving the rest of the time available for developmental focus and coaching.

Accepted Answer

Research on performance appraisal suggests that mixing discussions about pay decisions with feedback on performance and development can reduce the effectiveness of the developmental conversation. It is often recommended to separate discussions about pay from feedback and coaching to ensure employees can focus on development without being distracted or demotivated by pay-related discussions.

Quiz 10: Performance Management and Appraisal