CHAPTER 17 Appraising Performance

In the context of conducting an appraisal interview, a supervisor should

notify the employees about the appraisal interview ahead of time so that they get the time to think about their performance.

In the appraisal process, after a supervisor establishes and communicates standards for measuring performance, the next step is to

observe and measure individual performance against set criteria.

Performance appraisals conducted by an employee's co-workers are known as ________.

peer reviews

Which of the following appraisal methods would be most effective in checking the recency syndrome?

Critical-incident appraisal

Identify an accurate statement about the paired-comparison approach of performance appraisal.

It makes some employees look good at the expense of others.

It has been observed that a majority of companies direct their managers to separate performance appraisals from discussions of pay. Which of the following is most likely to be the reason behind this?

The employees focus more on the pay, making it difficult for supervisors to use performance evaluation as an opportunity for motivating and coaching.

Identify an accurate statement about graphic rating scales.

They provide scores that can measure improvement from year to year.

A performance appraisal should focus on an employee's

behavior and results.

The tendency to select employee ratings in the middle of a rating scale is called

central tendency.

In the context of the types of appraisals, the ________ approach is used when an organization determines that supervisors have been rating an unbelievably high proportion of employees as above average.

forced-choice

Rachel gives Karen a good rating in a performance appraisal because Karen once handled a difficult customer by empathizing with him. Since that incident, Rachel believes that Karen is the smartest and most efficient employee in the organization. Even though Karen has multiple positive attributes to her personality, Rachel makes an overall impression of Karen based on her quality of empathy. This is an example of the

halo effect.

In the appraisal process, while uncovering the underlying problems, if performance is suffering because an employee has personal problems, a supervisor should most appropriately

handle the situation with counseling and discipline.

Rating employees more severely than their performances merits is referred to as ________ bias.

harshness

While rating Lucy on her characteristics, Divya tends to assign similar rating scores for each of her traits. Divya gives Lucy similar rating scores because she does not want to deviate from the first rating score she assigned at the beginning of the appraisal. This is an example of

proximity bias.

When uncertain how to answer or when the overall scoring on a test looks undesirable, a supervisor is most likely to make ________.

random choices

When using a type of appraisal that requires answers to specific questions, a supervisor might succumb to making ________.

random choices

A graphic rating scale is best defined as a performance appraisal

that primarily marks the degree to which an employee has achieved various characteristics.