Chapter 8: Performance Management

The best way to describe an effective performance appraisal system is that it is a __________ process. A. promotion B. participatory C. quality control check D. disciplinary E. management

C

A fair performance appraisal that requires performance standards be properly communicated to employees and that timely feedback be given is known as A. adequate notice B. fair hearing C. judgment based on evidence D. arbitration E. due process

A

While the 360-degree appraisal method is gaining popularity, it requires at the least __________ in order to have a chance to work A. a suitable corporate culture B. professional evaluators C. cost-effective management D. a minimum 500 person employee base E. a decent employee benefit plan

A

in a recent survey of 1,200 US workers, roughly what percent of companies held employees accountable for their performance? A. less than 50% B. 60% C. 70% D. 80% E. 90%

A

In order to be effective, performance standards must always be designed so as to be A. in accordance with each employee's specific abilities rather than to desired results of the job B. equally balanced between an employee's performance abilities and the organization's desired results C. concerned with the desired results wanted on each job, but with employee abilities considered D. concerned with what is required of each job without individual employee abilities considered E. so challenging as to be impossible to completely achieve successfully

D

Performance measures are A. the benchmarks against which performance is measured B. the ratings used to evaluate performance C. the standards against which an organization compares itself to the competition D. dependent to a great degree upon each individual employee E. the same as performance standards

B

Subjective performance measures A. are so called because they involve specific employees as subjects B. are not verifiable by others C. are usually observed directly and don't involve opinions D. are designed to evaluate employees' subjective opinions on performance E. can be highly accurate when done indirectly

B

Performance appraisals can be applied to a variety of employee decision making situations including all the following except A. placement decisions B. employee career development plans C. job design errors D. training needs E. employee recruiting

E

Performance management includes all of the following except: A. data to effectively organize culture, systems and processes B. setting goals and allocating resources C. affecting policies and programs D. sharing results E. driving corporate strategy

E

The key elements in a performance appraisal system include all the following except A. the appraisal interview B. performance measures C. performance-related criteria D. feedback E. job analysis

E

Performance management serves a number of uses including all of the following except A. compensation adjustments B. career planning and development C. performance D. training needs E. judging the competition

E

Performance appraisal methods can use a variety of techniques and these techniques can be grouped by how they focus, and can include A. past-oriented appraisal methods B. subjective-based appraisal methods C. discriminatory-approach appraisal methods D. reverse-future-oriented appraisal methods E. presented-oriented appraisal methods

A

Some managers, for various reasons, do not like to evaluate employees as either "above average" or "below average" and so tend to rate everyone as "average". This is referred to as the A. recency effect B. leniency bias C. error of central tendency D. strictness bias E. halo effect

C

A completed performance appraisal form A. must be kept in the employees files for a maximum of one year B. is a legal document C. is an internal document that has no importance outside of the organization itself D. must be done in duplicate with one copy submitted to the provincial Labour Relations Board E. must be done in duplicate with one copy given to the employee as required by labour legislation

B

Of all the characteristics of an effective performance appraisal system below, one can be considered to be of the utmost importance A. reliability B. rater training C. employee input into appraisal system D. validity E. employee acceptance of goals

D

Categorization is the process of classifying and storing data, such as employee behaviour. This mental process allows supervisors to do all of the following except A. make quick judgments with limited information B. stereotype employees C. pay closer attention to people and events D. bias their conclusions E. process approximately seven items simultaneously

E

While reliability in employee performance appraisals is desirable it is A. also easy to obtain with a good rater B. difficult to obtain in most organizational settings C. not necessary if appraisals are valid D. difficult to obtain unless employees cooperate E. only window-dressing and can serve no real purpose in the performance appraisal procedure

B

The performance evaluation method that requires a rater to place each employee in order from best to worst is the A. critical incident method B. behaviourally anchored rating scale C. ranking method D. performance tests and observations E. forced distribution method

C

To be of value a performance appraisal system must be A. done by appraisers from outside the organization B. reasonably expensive C. done by professionals rather than supervisors D. accepted by employees E. complex

D

Rater guidelines for effective performance evaluation interviews include all the following except A. emphasize positive aspects B. make any criticisms specific rather than general and vague C. conduct interview in private D. argue if it is necessary to make the point with the employee E. identify specific performance improvement actions that can be taken

D

Evaluation interviews A. are done during the selection process B. do not involve performance feedback C. can involve feedback approaches such as tell and sell, tell and listen, and problem-solving D. are the final step in the dismissal process E. are not done if a performance appraisal is done instead

C

In performance management, measuring the process of achieving present goals is referred to as A. performance objectives B. performance goals C. performance measurement D. output measures E. outcome measures

C

Likely, the most used form of performance appraisal (though not necessarily the most effective) continues to be the A. checklist B. behaviourally anchored rating scale C. rating scale D. assessment centre E. self-appraisal

C

Performance appraisal is the process by which organizations A. select the best applicants to hire B. review applications for employment C. evaluate employee performance D. determine individual health and safety benefits E. attempt to decertify unions

C

Performance appraisals can be used for all the following except A. adjusting compensation packages B. assisting with placement decisions C. making the selection interview process more specific D. highlighting job analysis errors E. indicating deficiencies in staffing procedures

C

Rater biases in personnel evaluation can include all of the following except the A. halo effect B. recency effect C. glass-ceiling bias D. strictness bias E. central tendency error

C

Human resource departments are sometimes unintentionally to blame for supervisors falling into the central tendency bias when evaluating employees, particularly when a human resource department A. informs supervisors not cause any trouble with the union B. requires supervisors to justify very high or low ratings C. feels that it cannot replace a poor employee in a key position D. doesn't want to deal with grievances E. is in the process of downsizing

B

In many cases a major problem with performance appraisal methods is A. that raters (usually supervisors) don't understand the process B. that the human resource department gets too involved C. that they oppose the employment equity legislation D. that they take too long E. that they accurately measure performance

A

A poor performance appraisal system can cause A. HR departments to miss their objectives B. corporate goals to be met more easily C. employee-related decisions to be based on trial and error D. better hiring decisions E. more efficient and satisfactory compensation systems

A

A rater bias that occurs when the evaluator allows some piece of information about the employee to disproportionately influence the outcome is called A. the halo effect B. the error of central tendency C. the leniency bias D. fundamental attribution error E. the disproportionate influence bias

A

Human resource specialists design behaviourally anchored rating scales for any given job by collecting descriptions of what would constitute effective and ineffective performance for that job. Information is collected from all the following except A. incumbents B. peers C. superiors D. job analysts E. customers

E

In performance management, results of programs compared to preset targets are referred to as A. performance objectives B. performance goals C. performance measurement D. output measures E. outcome measures

E

While rater training has traditionally focused on rating biases (such as the halo effect) emphasis is shifting towards the cognitive aspect of the rating process. One model has divided this process into four steps, including all the below except A. attention B. categorization C. recall D. information integration E. form completion

E

It is generally agreed that normally the best way to evaluate employee performance is to use A. the immediate supervisor B. a specialist from the human resource department C. an outside HR evaluation professional D. a supervisor from another (but similar) department E. a group consisting of various management personnel

A

It has been suggested that several measures can be taken to improve the validity of supervisory ratings, including all the following except A. use of behaviour-based scales B. use of several raters C. use of quantitative (measurable) criteria whenever possible D. familiarization of raters with performance definitions E. increasing the use of trait ratings

E

Comparative evaluation methods differ from non-comparative methods in that A. they compare one person's performance with that of co-workers B. they compare an employee's performance with his or her job description C. they directly compare employee performance to job performance standards D. comparative methods are illegal when evaluating people in a protected class E. supervisors compare notes about employees

A

Job analysis has a direct impact on performance appraisal by A. uncovering specific performance criteria B. ignoring job standards C. utilizing external workforce analysis D. negotiating union contracts E. setting sales goals

A

Performance management systems should be A. simple and practical B. complex and practical C. proactive and complex D. simple and proactive E. complicated and valued

A

A good performance appraisal system can serve as a quality control check on A. all employees except the one being appraised B. the human resource department C. supervisors and managers in general D. the competition E. product quality

B

A performance management system attempts to achieve the following objectives: A. have a strategic partnership between customers and employees B. transform organizational objectives into measurable success outcomes C. provide measuring instruments that are general in nature to measure the success of a manager D. communicate and share results with internal stakeholders only E. make a connection between employee objectives and their career goals

B

A recent popular method for evaluating an employee's performance involves using all possible sources for information on the employee's performance. This method is referred to as A. management-by-objectives B. the 360-degree performance appraisal C. the assessment centre technique D. the 180-degree performance appraisal E. the all-agreement appraisal method

B

The performance appraisal method that requires a rater to provide a subjective evaluation of an individual's performance is called A. checklist B. rating scale C. self-assessment scale D. forced-choice method E. paired-comparisons method

B

The ranking method and forced distributions are examples of __________ performance evaluation methods A. non-comparative B. comparative C. behaviourally anchored D. critical incident E. future-oriented

B

Past-oriented performance appraisal approaches can include all the following except A. rating scale B. performance test and observation C. critical incident method D. behaviourally anchored rating scales E. management by objectives

E

Comparative evaluation methods for performance appraisals can include A. rating scales B. forced distributions C. assessment centres D. management by objectives E. behaviourally anchored rating scales

B

Future-oriented appraisal methods can include A. behaviourally anchored rating scales B. self-appraisals C. critical incident method D. ranking method E. forced distributions

B

A performance review session where a supervisor allows an employee to explain reasons, excuses, and defensive feelings about performance is called the A. tell-and-sell approach B. problem-solving approach C. tell-and-listen approach D.participative approach E. supervisory listening approach

C

All of the following are characteristics of an effective employee appraisal system except A. employee participation in performance goals B. training employees on how to take a performance appraisal C. supervisor's (rater's) personal knowledge about the employee D. reliability E. frequent feedback

C

In performance management, quantitative and qualitative assessments are referred to as A. performance objectives B. performance goals C. performance measurement D. output measures E. outcome measures

D

Performance evaluation for contingency employees tends to have particular challenges attached, including A. that they are specialists B. that their jobs are too complex C. that they are sometimes paid differently and are not included in the employee benefit package D. that they may have little knowledge of the organization's culture and goals E. that since contingency workers are only hired under employment equity, they have to be judged differently

D

One serious problem with all subjective measures of employee evaluation is the possibility A. of rater bias B. of employee misunderstandings C. of impersonal objectivity that ignores character traits D. of evaluator exhaustion E. of excessive expenditures

A

Studies have indicated that several measures can be taken to improve the validity of supervisory ratings in employee appraisal. This could include all of the following except A. never using more than one rater B. avoidance of trait ratings C. use of quantitative criteria D. creation of positive consequences for both rater and ratee E. use of behaviour-based scales

A

The difference between an appraisal method and an appraisal system is that A. an appraisal system can encompass a variety of appraisal methods B. an appraisal method can encompass a variety of appraisal systems C. one cannot have an appraisal method if one has an appraisal system D. an appraisal method is used for unionized workers whereas an appraisal system is used for management E. there is never any difference between the two terms; they always mean the same thing

A

In performance management, achievable and realistic targets to which outcomes can be compared are referred to as A. performance objectives B. performance goals C. performance measurement D. output measures E. outcome measures

B

Indirect observation of performance usually evaluates substitutes for actual performance; these substitutes are called A. subjective measurements B. constructs C. reduced reliability testing D. substitution structures (substructs) E. direct measurement

B

Non-comparative performance evaluation methods can include A. ranking method B. rating method C. self-appraisal D. forced distributions E. forced checklist

B

One employee evaluation method that attempts to appraise future potential by using multiple types of evaluation and multiple raters is A. critical incident method B. assessment centre technique C. management-by-objectives D. self-evaluation E. behaviourally anchored rating scales

B

To provide an accurate picture of an individual's job performance, appraisal systems should do all the below except A. evaluate behaviours that constitute job success B. minimize unfavourable feedback at all times C. be practical and understood (ie. not overly complicated) D. have standards that relate to desired results E. employ dependable measures that are reliable and reasonably easy to use

B

The halo effect as a rater bias, is most severe when A. a rater is too harsh in their evaluations B. the extremes of "excellent" or "very poor" are used more than necessary C. raters choose to remain emotionally detached D. a rater must evaluate their friends E. only the most recent employee performance is considered

D

The recency effect is a potential evaluator bias that occurs when A. the rater has done too many employee evaluations recently B. the employee has just recently started the job and is therefore given an improper evaluation C. the rater has just recently started the job and cannot fairly evaluate the employee D. the rater allows recent employee actions to unduly sway evaluation of overall employee performance E. performance standards have just recently been developed

D

To be effective performance appraisals should A. avoid serious consequences B. avoid all consequences C. minimize consequences (good or bad) D. state consequences in advance and produce these consequences subsequently E. have only good consequences

D

The critical incident method of performance appraisal A. is another name for the rating scale method B. is easily standardized and reduces rater bias C. is disliked by both raters and employees because it provides little useful feedback D. is easy for supervisors to maintain an interest in and carry out E. has a drawback in that supervisors tend to lose interest in recording incidents

E

Validity in performance appraisals refers to the A. relevance of measurement criteria to job performance B. reliability of measurement criteria C. use of subjective over objective standards and measurements D. frequency of feedback E. lack of reliability

A

in lower customer satisfaction and undesirable organizational consequences is referred to as A. performance objectives B. performance goals C. performance measurement D. output measures E. outcome measures

A

When we have to make a judgment about someone we attempt to remember all relevant information that we have about that person (as in performance appraisals). This process is called A. attention B. recall C. categorization D. information integration E. stereotyping

B

The management-by-objectives performance evaluation approach is based upon the premise that A. employees will achieve the objectives set for them by management B. achieving objectives will produce satisfied employees C. each employee and superior jointly establish goals for a future period D. there is little connection between performance and objectives E. employees will always manage to have difficulty with performance appraisals

C