HR 2 ch 7?

The tendency of managers to blame workers for poor performance and for workers to blame external factors is known as:

actor/observer bias.

Studies of performance appraisal systems show that the most influential element on the effectiveness of the system is the:

intelligence and experience of the rater.

) Outcome-based performance appraisal systems are more likely to:

lead to a "results at any cost" mentality.

The tendency to rate similarly across dimensions is best known as ________ error.

) halo

Bob wants to focus this year's employee assessment interviews on discussing the traits each employee displays. You should most likely tell him that trait-based appraisal tools:

) have a tendency to make employees defensive.

Outcome-based appraisal tools have a tendency to:

provide a distorted view of worker performance levels.

Your CEO is considering the use of a relative judgment system for your company's performance appraisal program. She asks you about the disadvantages of such a system, and it would be most appropriate for you to state that such systems:

provide unclear performance feedback to employees.

Those who manage employee performance effectively share some common management characteristics, such as:

the exploration of causes of performance problems.

Managers using a rational perspective to appraise performance believe that:

the goal of an appraisal is accuracy.

Which of the following is a drawback of a behavior-based performance appraisal system?

Time-consuming to develop

The legal requirements that any performance appraisal system must meet are set forth in:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Which of the following best summarizes the text's explanation of the political perspective in performance appraisal?

) Performance appraisals communicate approval and disapproval and manage an employee's behavior.

Which of the following is an upward performance appraisal process?

) Subordinate reviews

Automotive, Inc. (A.I.) is an automotive manufacturing company that uses self-managed teams to produce large automotive parts. When performing evaluations, A.I. needs to remember to:

) appraise both individual and team performance.

A company designs a performance evaluation process that evaluates the value of specific employee behaviors. The company is most likely using a(n):

) behavioral-based system.

) The implementation of a ________ process offers a well-rounded picture of an employee's performance.

360° feedback

Two line managers, Cameron and Ty, are performing appraisals on their subordinates. As they discuss their findings, they realize that they have very similar views on how they rate performance. The work that Cameron rates as excellent, Ty rates as excellent. The work that Ty rates as average, Cameron rates as average. These findings most likely indicate:

A) a high rate of comparability.

Which of the following is most likely a true statement about relative and absolute judgment appraisal systems?

Absolute judgments allow for equal ratings among employees, but relative judgments do not.

Which appraisal format has the greatest legal defensibility?

Behavior

The most significant court test of discrimination in performance appraisal was:

Brito vs. Zia.

Which of the following is an example of a situational factor affecting employee performance?

Carter receives poor supervision.

Which term refers to observable characteristics that are associated with successful job performance?

Competencies

Which of the following is true about the influence of "liking" on performance appraisals?

Correlations exist between rater liking and performance ratings.

) Which of the following is NOT a common criticism of trait appraisal instruments?

Costly and time consuming

Sam, a data analyst, has not been completing tasks as quickly as his manager, Elizabeth, would like. Elizabeth has scheduled a meeting with Sam to discuss the issue. What should Elizabeth do first at the meeting?

Define the performance problem for Sam

Keith owns a small marketing firm and has 15 employees. Keith needs to implement a performance appraisal system. Which of the following is most important for Keith?

Developing broad job dimensions

Which of the following is used in frame-of-reference training?

Fictitious examples of worker performance

Which of the following is a comprehensive list of the functions in a performance appraisal?

Identifying, measuring, and managing

Your text argues for which of the following as the best model of performance management?

Incorporating judgment and coaching in the performance review

How can managers minimize the influence of "liking" on performance evaluations?

Keeping a performance diary on each employee

Which of the following is NOT a situational factor in employee performance problems?

Lack of motivation

A firm implementing a relative judgment performance appraisal system would most likely experience which of the following?

Managers grouping employees into two categories when evaluating performance

Which of the following is a "microskill" that managers should use in employee appraisal interviews?

Paraphrasing employees' responses

Which of the following is NOT a trait typically used on trait-based rating scales?

Punctuality

According to the text, what is the best way to encourage managers to coach employees?

Showing the effectiveness of coaching

Which of the following is a disadvantage of an absolute judgment performance appraisal system?

Standards vary among managers

Which of the following is a true comparison between the rational perspective of appraisal and the political perspective of appraisal?

The goal of appraisal from the political perspective is utility. The goal of appraisal from the rational perspective is accuracy.

Judges' decisions on appraisal systems have been favorably influenced by which of the following factors?

The presence of rater training

Job performance dimensions are:

aspects of performance that determine effective job performance.

A review of court decisions regarding performance appraisal legal issues shows that the

be favorably influenced by the use of job analysis.

The best way for managers to encourage effective performance is to:

be specific about desired outcomes.

) The critical incident technique can be used to create ________ rating scales.

behavior-based

Shawn is reviewing a performance appraisal instrument with a scale of 1-10. Each number has a descriptive statement next to it, from 1 (rarely gives direction when assigning work) to 10 (makes expectations clear). This is an example of a(n):

behavior-based appraisal instrument.

Trait-based performance appraisal systems are most similar to:

behavioral-based performance appraisal systems.

) The most common form of behavior appraisal instrument is a:

behaviorally anchored rating scale.

Most experts agree that in a team environment:

both individual and team performance should be evaluated.

Billy will be appraising employees at H.R.T., Inc. He is compiling a list of aspects by which he will measure the employees. Billy is compiling:

dimensions of job performance.

A pitfall of using relative judgments for performance appraisal is that they:

fail to clarify how great or small the performance differences are between employees.

You are reviewing the performance appraisal conducted by your middle managers. You notice that Carrie tends to give each employee the same score across all dimensions of the evaluation. For example, Brian's scores all are in the average range while Karl's all tend to be in the excellent range, even though you know that each man has done very well on some and very poorly on some of the dimensions. Brian and Karl's evaluations exhibit a:

halo error.

Emma is thinking through the future evaluation of her employees. Right now she is determining what specific areas of each employee's work to examine. Emma is in the process of:

identifying areas of job performance that should be evaluated.

The most common use of performance appraisals is to:

make personnel administrative decisions.

A manager is in the process of deciding how effective or ineffective an employee's behavior has been. This manager is in the ________ stage of the performance appraisal model. A) identification

measurement

When managers use performance appraisals to communicate a message to an employee rather than to measure actual performance, the performance appraisal is most likely being influenced by:

organizational politics.

All of the following are characteristics of supervisors who manage performance effectively EXCEPT:

solving problems for employees.

Ahmad has been a line manager at a large jewelry factory for nearly 10 years. This year, the factory is letting the employees directly under him contribute to Ahmad's performance appraisal. This is an example of:

subordinate review.

An appraisal system that focuses on individuals rather than on any other factor is a(n):

trait-based system.

When it comes to the performance appraisal process:

) most firms fail to maximize its potential.

Sheila believes the value of her employees' performance depends on her agenda or goals, and not on any objective standard. Sheila's perspective is a(n):

) political perspective.

One of your managers returns from a management seminar eager to use a relative judgment system for performance appraisals. He asks you for your opinion about the value of such systems. It would be most accurate for you to state that relative judgment systems:

) require supervisors to differentiate between employees.

Which of the following is LEAST likely a challenge of effective performance measurement?

Employee contributions

Employee performance on the job is primarily a function of the employee's:

ability, motivation, and situational factors.

You are discussing changing your performance appraisal system with your executive management team. The VP of Operations wants the ability to compare employees working for different managers in different areas of the plant. The best appraisal system for this would be a(n):

absolute system.

You are training first-line supervisors on how to give performance appraisals. In your explanation of the halo error, you tell these managers that they can avoid this mistake if they: A) consider organizational goals.

consider each dimension individually.

Managers who maintain employee performance diaries most likely benefit from:

legal justification for the appraising process.

) Raters who commit severity errors generally:

restrict ratings to the low portion of the appraisal scale.

MBO performance appraisal systems focus primarily on employee:

results.

Managers who follow a rational perspective when conducting performance appraisals:

seek to clearly define a worker's performance and the criteria to evaluate that performance

) If supervisors want to help employees gain insight into their performance problems and have input into the performance appraisal, they should most likely use:

self reviews.

Frame-of-reference training has been found to be particularly effective in eliminating:

the impact of personal bias in performance evaluations.