Chapter 8

Which of the following statements about peer evaluations is true?

Peer evaluations can be more motivating than managers' evaluations

Donaldo just went through his performance evaluation. His manager gave him timely and complete feedback about areas needing improvement and training 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 with which criterion of performance measure?

acceptability

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

can bias information recall

What type of approach should managers use to work with employees to solve performance problems?

collaborative or problem-solving

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

deficient

Employees should not be surprised by a formal evaluation if they are provided with frequent ______ from their managers.

feedback

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

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

quality

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

simple ranking

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

Competency models can be useful for which of the following HR practices? (Select all that apply.)

training selection development recruiting

It is the manager's responsibility to give feedback to employees frequently, making employees aware of performance deficiencies before they ______.

turn into productivity loss

Which of the following are components of a balanced scorecard's perspectives of performance? (Select all that apply.)

operations learning and growth customer

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

reliability

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

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

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 in order to effectively complete their job are using the __________ approach to performance management.

behavioral

Which of the following are among the types of distributional rater errors? (Select all that apply.)

central tendency strictness leniency

To improve poor performance in an employee, a manager must work with the employee to ______. (Select all that apply.)

determine the cause of the problem agree on how to solve the issue

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

developing behavioral anchors associated with different levels of performance

Which of the approaches to performance measurement relies on a combination of the attribute and results approaches?

quality approach

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? (Select all that apply.)

Generation Z Millennials

Which of the following are the first two steps in the performance management process? (Select all that apply.)

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

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

What impact does praising effective performance have on an employee?

It provides accurate performance, both positive and negative It adds credibility to the feedback by showing that the manager is not just identifying performance problems It reinforced positive performance behavior

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

employees should set goals that are linked to organizational goals

When implementing a performance management strategy, organizations develop which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

feedback systems measurements systems definitions of the expected results

What are recommended ways of making a feedback discussion effective? (Select all that apply.)

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

One developmental purpose of performance management is to ______.

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

The main goal of a productivity measurement and evaluation system (ProMES) is to motivate employees to ______.

improve team or company-level productivity

Communication, documentation, and organization maintenance are several of the basic purposes of an organization's performance __________ system.

management

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

managers can process

Defining relevant performance dimensions, developing statements that represent good, average, and poor performance, and then mixing those statements with statements from other dimensions on the actual rating instrument are the steps involved in creating ______ scales.

mixed-standard

Where should a manager hold a feedback session with a direct report?

in a neutral location

Disadvantages of the attribute approach to measuring performance include which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

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

Which of the following statements about self-ratings are true? (Select all that apply.)

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

Which of the following statements about the behavioral approach to measuring performance are true? (Select all that apply.)

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

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

managers

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

Which of the following are important criteria for evaluating a performance management system? (Select all that apply.)

specificity reliability acceptability

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

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

ways to measure performance

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

believe the performance management system is fair

Specificity is relevant to which of the following aspects of performance management? (Select all that apply.)

achieving strategic goals employee development

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

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

competency models

Who of the following are primary sources of performance information of an employee? (Select all that apply.)

direct reports self customers

Performance management is crucial to ______.

gaining competitive advantage

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

graphic rating scales

The simplifying mechanisms we use to make judgments are known as ______.

heuristics

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

as the source of the performance measures

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

attribute

Which of the following are questions managers should ask when analyzing poor employee performance? (Select all that apply.)

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

Which of the following are examples of comparative approaches? (Select all that apply.)

Forced distribution Paired comparison Ranking

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 statements about the results approach to measuring performance is true?

Objective measurements can be contaminated and deficient.

Advantages of the results approach to measuring performance include which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

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

What may happen if a manager personalizes poor performance in an employee? (Select all that apply.)

The employee may fail to listen to the feedback The employee may get defensive The employee may not change their performance

True or false: A large number of companies are moving toward a continuous performance management process that provides conversations between management and employees and focuses on work progress.

True

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

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

Research on the use of objectives to measure performance has revealed which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

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

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

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

competencies

Critics of forced distribution systems point to the disconnect among which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

corporate performance employee compensation employees' evaluations

Melania works for a mobile business that grooms dogs. She visits clients' 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

Natalia's role with her new team was to produce periodic reports on the team's progress. Her reports were not in the preferred format and lacked several standard components, but she was unaware she was doing anything wrong and instead thought she was doing a good job. Natalia received a poor performance evaluation as a result of her reports. Her poor performance in this case was likely due to ______.

lack of feedback

Which of the following administrative decisions are typically made with the aid of performance management information? (Select all that apply.)

layoffs pay raises promotions

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 employees' ______.

level of motivation

Effective performance evaluations systems should measure ______. (Select all that apply.)

objectives behaviors

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

subjectivity

When providing negative feedback to an employee, on what should a manager focus?

the employee's results

To avoid personalizing poor performance in an employee, a manager should focus on which of the following during a negative feedback session? (Select all that apply.)

the results of the behavior on peers or customers specific behaviors that occurred with a situation the situation

A performance appraisal process for managers that includes direct reports' 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

When is it appropriate to use customer evaluations of employee performance? (Select all that apply.)

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

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

Effective performance management is a process

Which of the following statements about continuous performance management is true? (Select all that apply.)

Employees want feedback, transparency, clarity, and responsibility for their work Managers are responsible for coaching employees

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? (Select all that apply.)

motivation ability

Research has shown that goal setting results in ______. (Select all that apply.)

motivation to improve performance improvement increased job satisfaction

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

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

employees exhibit them

According to research, ProMES is effective in ______.

increasing productivity

One advantage of the comparative approach to measuring performance is that ______.

it effectively differentiates employee performance

Which of the following statements about managers as sources of performance information are true? (Select all that apply.)

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

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

During a feedback session, the manager and the employee determine that the employee's failure to meet a sales goal is the result of lack of product knowledge. What is the next step needed to solve the issue and improve the employee's performance?

The manager and employee work together to develop a product training schedule

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? (Select all that apply.)

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

Which of the following are potential conditions under which appraisal politics are more likely to take place? (Select all that apply.)

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

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

There is no one best approach to measuring performance.

Which of the following are purposes of an organization's performance management system? (Select all that apply.)

administrative strategic developmental

True or false: The quality approach uses evaluation of personal traits, such as cooperation, which is difficult to equate to actual job performance unless the organization is team based.

True

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.

alteration

Which of the following would be expected in a performance management system that is designed with a strong quality orientation? (Select all that apply.)

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

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

appraisal politics

Managers are often evaluated by their employees. Employees who report to a manager are known as ______.

direct reports

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

discrete

When the plaintiff alleges they were unjustly treated by the performance measurement system due to their age, gender, or race, it is called a ______ suit.

discrimination

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

internal or operations perspective

If two individuals give a person's job performance approximately the same evaluation, the performance measure has ______.

interrater reliability

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

appraisal systems are rarely modified

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

effective performance

Managers should work with employees to solve performance problems in an atmosphere of ______. (Select all that apply.)

encouragement respect

Which of the following steps are part of the attribute approach? (Select all that apply.)

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

The behavioral approach is best suited to evaluating ______.

less complex jobs

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

Asking employees to complete a self-assessment before a feedback session encourages them to ______.

participate fully in the feedback session think about their weaknesses think about their past performance

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

results

When a former employee files a suit against an employer claiming that they were fired for a reason other than that which is being claimed by the employer, it is called a(n) ______ suit.

unjust dismissal

One of the most effective motivators of performance is ______.

goal setting