HRM CH. 8

After a company has decided the kind of performance it expects from employees, it must develop _____

ways to measure performance

When is it appropriate to use customer evaluations of employee performance?

when the job involves direct service to the customer when the evaluations serve a strategic goal

When managers look over a list of employees, decide who is best and cross that name off the list, decide who is the worst employee and cross that name off the list, and then repeat the process, this is known as ______ ranking

alternation

Which of the following is the best use of self-ratings?

as a way for the employee to prepare for a performance feedback session

Before a performance management system is implemented, an organization must first decide whom to use _____

as the source of the performance measures

Managers who attempt to define which behaviors employees have to exhibit in order to effectively complete their job are using the blank approach to performance management.

behavioral

Which of the following is similar to behaviorally anchored rating scales except that it involves the manager rating the frequency that employees exhibited each behavior during the rating period?

behavioral observation scale

The acceptability of a performance measure is determined, in part, by the extent to which the employees _____

believe the performance management system is fair

Though behaviorally anchored rating scales have advantages, they also have disadvantages, such as that they ______

can bias information recall

Which of the following are components of a balanced scorecard's perspectives of performance?

customer, learning and growth, operations

Which of the following steps are part of the attribute approach?

defining a set of desired traits evaluating whether individuals posses certain desired traits

When using behaviorally anchored rating scales, organizations seek to define performance dimensions by ______

developing behavioral anchors associated with different levels of performance

Who of the following are primary sources of performance information of an employee?

direct reports customers self

When a graphic rating scale provides rankings at a number of different points, it is known as a(n) ______ scale

discrete

Feedback sessions should focus not only on performance problems but on ______ as well.

effective performance

The best kind of performance feedback is the kind that ______.

elicits positive behavioral responses

Specificity is relevant to which of the following aspects of performance management?

employee development achieving strategic goals

Once behaviors have been defined, the behavioral approach requires managers to assess how well _____

employees exhibit them

In the use of an objectives method for measuring performance, ______.

employees should set goals that are linked to organizational goals

Critics of forced distribution systems point to the disconnect among which of the following?

employees' evaluations corporate performance employee compensation

Ranking employees by assigning certain percentages of them to predetermined groups (such as best workers, worst workers, and categories in between) is known as ______.

forced distribution

Performance management is crucial to ______

gaining competitive advantage

The attribute approach to performance management is most frequently done with ______

graphic rating scales

Which of the following would be expected in a performance management system that is designed with a strong quality orientation?

involvement of both internal and external customers to set standards and measure performance. an emphasis on cooperation in performance problem solving between managers and employees. use of multiple sources in the evaluation of person and system factors

Which of the following is the most frequently used source of performance information?

managers

Though a behavioral observation scale offers managers important insights, it can also require more information than ______

managers can process

The performance management approach that involves a preventative approach to errors, continuous improvement, and a customer orientation is known as a(n) ______ approach.

quality

Consistency in performance and being free from random error is a measure of ______.

reliability

Which of the following are important criteria for evaluating a performance management system?

reliability, specificity, acceptability

When a manager ranks the employees within his or her department from the best to the worst performers, it is called ______.

simple ranking

The ______ approach to performance management involves managing objective measures of outcomes of a job or work group.

results

Social performance management, which uses systems like Facebook and Yammer to allow employees to quickly communicate with one another, is particularly valued by which generations?

Millennials, Generation Z

Which of the following are examples of comparative approaches?

forced distribution ranking paired comparison

Which of the following statements about the process of performance management is true?

Effective performance management is a process.

Which of the following are the first two steps in the performance management process?

Identify the company's goals and objectives. Identify and develop performance measures for key performance dimensions.

Which of the following statements about the developmental purpose of performance management is true?

It is designed to develop employees and improve performance.

Which of the following best defines performance management?

It is the process managers go through to make sure that employees' activities and outputs are aligned with the organization's goals.

Which of the following statements about managers as sources of performance information are true?

Managers have the ability to rate their employees. Managers know about their employees' job requirements.

A performance appraisal process for managers that includes direct reports' evaluations is known as ______.

upward feedback

Which of the following statements about peer evaluations is true?

Peer evaluations can be more motivating than managers' evaluations.

Which of the following statements about self-assessments is true?

Self-ratings used for administrative purposes are often inflated. Self-assessments give employees a chance to reflect on their accomplishments and weaknesses.

Which of the following are potential conditions under which appraisal politics are more likely to take place?

There are competing goals. Raters are accountable in some way to the person being rated. There is a direct linkage between performance appraisal and highly desirable rewards.

True or false: Due to the importance of effective performance management systems, many companies and organizations are training managers on how to provide feedback to employees.

True

True or false: One of the most important things a manager should avoid when giving negative feedback is to question the employee's worth as a person.

True

Research on the use of objectives to measure performance has revealed which of the following?

Use of objectives usually increases productivity. Commitment to the objectives from top management results in high productivity.

Mao Lin is a computer engineer. She has degrees in computer science and has worked in the field for two decades. Mao Lin is personable and hard working but also extremely knowledgeable. She is capable of overseeing projects and employees, is organized, and has the technical skills to understand both the big picture and the details. This description indicates that Mao Lin has ______.

competencies

The various sets of skills, knowledge, abilities and personal characteristics associated with the successful performance of a job are known as ______

competencies

What are recommended ways of making a feedback discussion effective?

holding it in a neutral location. setting up an open dialogue between a manager and his or her direct report. having it serve as an opportunity to discuss the roles of the manager and the direct report.

One developmental purpose of performance management is to ______.

identify employee weaknesses for managers to use in providing feedback and coaching

On a balanced scorecard, the performance perspective that focuses on processes that influence customer satisfaction is known the _____

internal or operations perspective

Which of the following administrative decisions are typically made with the aid of performance management information?

layoffs, pay raises, promotions

Effective performance evaluations systems should measure ______

objectives, behaviors

Systems like Yammer that allow employees to quickly exchange information, provide coaching, and receive recognition are referred to as ______.

social performance management

A performance measure that does a good job of telling employees what is expected of them and how to meet those expectations is said to have a high level of ______.

specificity

Job performance management systems that bring out job performance that is in line with the strategies, goals, and culture of the organization is said to have ______.

strategic congruence

The results approach assumes that _______ can be eliminated from the process of measuring the results of a work group.

subjectivity

Peer evaluations are particularly useful to management when ______.

supervisors are not often able to observe the employee