Chapter 8

Which of the following is an advantage of the attribute approach?

The methods are easy to develop.

Which of the following are drawbacks of the comparative approach?

The rankings provide little useful information to those being evaluated. The validity of the ratings are modest at best.

Which of the following statements about approaches to measuring performance is true?

There is no one best approach to measuring performance.

Competency models can be useful for which of the following HR practices?

Training Selection Recruiting Development

Which of the following are potential solutions a manager might consider if a poorly performing employee understands the expected level of performance, has been given sufficient feedback, and understands the consequences but lacks the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the performance standards?

Transfer the employee to a job the person's skills fit better with. Fire the employee. Provide training to the employee.

True or false: A large majority of HR professionals believe that annual performance evaluations do not provide accurate information.

True

True or false: Mixed-standard scales were developed as trait-oriented scales.

True

Managers should consider which of the following aspects of an employee's job when they are considering ways to improve performance?

ability motivation

Donaldo just went throufh his performance evaluation. His manager gave him timely and complete feedback about areas needing improvement and training and available to help him. Donaldo disagreed with his manager's assessment and decided not to make any changes to his work performance. Donaldo's reaction fits which criterion of performance.

acceptability

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

acceptability specificity reliability

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

When an evaluator purposefully distorts a rating in order to achieve some company or personal goal, that rater is engaging in _________.

appraisal politics

The likely reason many managers doubt the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems is that ____________________.

appraisal systems are rarely modified

An approach to performance management that involves focusing on certain traits or characteristics possessed by individuals that are through to be related to the company's success is known as the __________ approach.

attribute

Though paired comparison can offer managers with important insight, it can also __________________.

be time-consuming

Managers who attempt to define which behaviors employees have to exhibit to effectively complete their job are using the __________ approach to perform 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

Tran is a manager and must measure the performance of his employees. The method he uses requires him to analyze the performance of each employee against each other. Tran is using the _________ approach.

comparative

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

A(n) ___________ is best defined as the various set of skills, knowledge, abilities and personal characteristics associated with the successful performance of a job.

competency

In order to describe the competencies associated with an entire occupation, organization, job family, or a specific job, managers create ________________.

competency models

The first step in diagnosing poor performance is to __________.

consider whether or not the poor performance is critical to completing the job and whether if affects business results.

Melania works for a mobile business that grooms dogs. She visits client's homes to groom their pets and is always in the field. Which of the following would be the best source of information for her performance review?

customers

Which of the following are among the primary sources of performance information?

customers subordinates self

When a performance measure does not measure all aspects of performance it is considered _________.

deficient

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

discrete

In a(n) ________________ suit, the plantiff will often allege they were unjustly treated by the performance measurement system due to their age, gender, or race.

discrimination

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

elicits positive behavioral responses

The top strategic purpose of a performance management system is establishing a link between __________.

employee activity and organizational goals

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

employee compensaation employee's evaluations corporate performance

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

employee development achieving strategic goals

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

employees should set goals that are linked to organizational goals.

Performance management is crucial to __________.

gaining competitive advantage

The simplifying mechanisms we use to make judgement are known as __________.

heuristics

According to research, ProMES is effective in ___________.

increasing productivity

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 are components of a balanced scorecard's perspectives of performance?

learning and growth customer operations

Which of the following are among the types of distributional rater errors?

leniency strictness central tendency

Managers should consider if employees want to do the job they're doing and if employees feel they are being appropriately compensated when determining an employee's ___________________.

level of motivation

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

managers can process

Effective performance evaluations systems should measure __________.

objectives behaviors

There are three basic purposes of an organization's __________ __________ system.

performance management

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

quality

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

results

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

social performance management

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

Performance management appraisals are sometimes not particularly useful because managers __________.

tend to fear evaluating employees negatively

A performance appraisal process for managers that includes subordinates' evaluations is known as ______________.

upward feedback

When a performance measure assesses all relevant aspects of performance, and only the relevant aspects of performance, that measure test is considered __________.

valid

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

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

Which of the following are questions managers should ask when analyzing poor employee performance?

Does the employee know what is expected? Does the employee have the necessary resources to succeed? Does the employee have the required skills and knowledge?

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

Effective performance management is a process.

Disadvantages of the attribute approach to measuring performance include which of the following?

Employees evaluated by these methods are generally not accepting of the feedback. The validity and reliability of the methods are generally low.

Which of the following statements about self-ratings are true?

Employees tend to inflate their ratings. The ratings should not be used as the sole source of performance information.

The attribute approach to performance management is most frequently done with ________________.

Graphic rating scales

Which of the following are recommendations managers should consider in order to provide effective performance feedback?

Have employees rate their own performance prior to the feedback session. Focus on behavioral or performance issues rather than the individual person. Create the right context for the discussion.

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 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 statements about the developmental purpose of performance management is true?

It is designed to develop employees and improve performance.

Advantages of the results approach to measuring performance include which of the following?

It links an individual's results with the organization's strategies and goals. The approach minimizes subjectivity and provides quantifiable indicators of performance. Managers and employees are generally accepting of the approach.

Which of the following statements about the behavioral approach to measuring performance are true?

It provides specific guidance and feedback for employees. It results have high validity.

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

Layoffs Pay raises Promotions

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

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

When implementing a performance management strategy, organizations develop which of the following?

Measurements systems Definitions of the necessary results, behaviors, and employee characteristics Feedback systems

Social performance management, which uses systems like Facebook and Yammer to allow employees to quickly communicate with one another, is particularly valued by ______________, but ______________ are likely to think that any feedback involves judgement.

Millennials; Baby Boomers Generation Z employees; Millennials

Which of the following statements about the results approach to measuring performance is true?

Objective measurements can be contaminated and deficient.

Comparing every employee with every other employee in their work group and assigning a score of "1" each time that employee is considered to be the better performer, subsequently adding up the points and assigning that number as the employee's performance score, is called ___________________.

Paired comparison

Which of the following statements about peer evaluations is true?

Peer evaluations can be more motivating than managers' evaluations.

Which of the following are potential conditions under which appraisal politics might take place?

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

__________ refers to how consistent and free from random error a performance measure is.

Reliability

_________________ ranking is when a manager ranks the employees within his department from the best to the worst performers.

Simple

Which of the following are among the purposes of an organization's performance management system?

Strategic Administrative Developmental