HR MGT Exam Review: Ch. 8

What term describes a performance appraisal process for managers that includes direct reports' evaluations?

upward feedback

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

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

Which generations particularly value social performance management, which uses systems like Facebook and Yammer to allow employees to quickly communicate with one another?

Generation Z Millennials

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

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

What impact does praising effective performance have on an employee?

It adds credibility to feedback by showing that managers are not just identifying performance problems. It reinforces positive performance behavior. It provides accurate performance, both positive and negative.

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

It is designed to develop employees and improve performance.

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

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

Which of the following statements is true about peer evaluations?

Peer evaluations can be more motivating than managers' evaluations.

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 _____ approach to performance management.

behavioral

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

believe the performance management system is fair

What term is used to describe the various sets of skills, knowledge, abilities and personal characteristics associated with the successful performance of a job?

competencies

Tova 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

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

employees exhibit them

Because effective performance management systems are increasingly important, many companies and organizations are training managers on how to provide _____ to employees.

feedback

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

feedback

Which of the following are examples of comparative approaches?

forced distribution ranking paired comparison

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

in a neutral location

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

interrater reliability

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

interrater reliability

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. What is the most likely cause of Natalia's poor performance?

lack of feedback

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

managers

What should effective performance evaluations systems measure?

objectives behaviors

Which performance management approach involves a preventative approach to errors, continuous improvement, and a customer orientation?

quality

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

reliability

Which approach to performance management involves managing objective measures of outcomes of a job or work group?

results

What term is used to describe systems like Yammer that allow employees to quickly exchange information, provide coaching, and receive recognition?

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

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

subjectivity

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

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

What is a developmental purpose of performance management?

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

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

turn into productivity loss

What kind of legal action is taken 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?

unjust dismissal

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

valid

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

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

deficient

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

direct reports

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

direct reports self customers

Which is the most likely reason many managers doubt the effectiveness of performance appraisal systems?

Appraisal systems are rarely modified.

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 required skills and knowledge? Does the employee have the necessary resources to succeed?

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

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

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

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

NOTE - YOUR MOST CHALLENGING CONCEPTS:

Recognize specificity. Recall direct reports as a source of performance information. Recall reliability in terms of performance measures.

During a feedback session, a manager and an 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 statements is true about approaches to measuring performance?

There is no one best approach to measuring performance but all should measure what is accomplished and how it is accomplished.

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

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

What are evaluators engaging in when they purposefully distort a rating in order to achieve a goal?

appraisal politics

When the plaintiff alleges they were unjustly treated by the performance measurement system due to their age, gender, or race, they are bringing a Blank______ suit. Multiple choice question.

discrimination

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

reliability specificity acceptability

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

To be effective, performance management should not be an event but a process.

Which of the following aspects of an employee's job should managers take into account when they are considering ways to improve performance?

ability motivation

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. Which criterion of performance measure is exemplified by Donaldo's reaction?

acceptability

To improve poor performance in an employee, a manager must work with the employee to ______.

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

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

as a way for the employee to prepare for performance feedback

What term describes 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?

attribute

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

collaborative or problem-solving

Chelan is a manager and must measure the performance of her employees. The method she uses requires her to analyze the performance of each employee in relation to other workers. What is the approach that Chelan will be using?

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

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

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

Managers should work with employees to solve performance problems in an atmosphere of ______.

encouragement respect

What are recommended ways of making a feedback discussion effective?

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 an open dialogue between a manager and his or her direct report

Managers should consider whether employees want to do the job they're doing and whether employees feel they are being appropriately compensated when determining an employees' ______.

level of motivation

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

Peer evaluations are particularly useful to management when ______.

supervisors are not often able to observe the employee