Question 1

Henry Wong was really upset after coming out of his annual performance evaluation interview. He felt betrayed and "blindsided" by some of the information that was told to him in the interview. He was told for the first time that several reports that he was responsible for completing were regularly submitted with missing information and errors. He was told that his supervisor had received several complaints over the past year about his customer service style. In addition, when his supervisor asked his peers as to his level of performance, they rated him as "1 = Poor" on collegiality and teamwork. He had thought he understood what he was supposed to do and to what level he was expected to perform. He thought he was doing a really good job all year. When he tried to explain his confusion and reasons for missing information in the reports, he felt his supervisor cut him off and was not interested in hearing his excuses. Instead of receiving his anticipated rating of "4 = Excellent", he only received a rating of "3 = Satisfactory" on most criteria, and even received "2 = Needs Improvement" on the accuracy and customer service measures. As a result, he was now only going to receive a cost of living increase of 2% rather than the merit increase of 5% that he anticipated. He now was concerned about other negative effects this might have on his career within the organization.
-In addition to affecting his anticipated compensation increase,this performance appraisal will likely affect Henry in all of the following areas except
A)performance improvement plans
B)employee career development plans
C)job re-design needs
D)promotion decisions
E)employee recruiting

Accepted Answer

The performance appraisal is unlikely to affect employee recruiting as it is a process used to evaluate and assess the performance of current employees, not potential candidates for recruitment.

Question 2

Marjet had just returned from a training session on rater biases.She was fascinated with the lively discussion that took place within the group being trained.Marjet agreed with her colleague,June,that their supervisor just generally seemed to evaluate everyone in their department very harshly.Michael,in purchasing,indicated that his boss seemed to be always focused on the results of work that was performed only two months before the annual performance evaluation interview.Jeff,in marketing,was frustrated because he felt that he was always being compared to other employees in the marketing department rather than on performance or results.He felt he was rated lower than his colleagues since he didn't have an MBA like they did.Helena was really happy that she got along so well with her supervisor,and they had been friends for many years prior to working with the firm.She thought she might be evaluated more leniently as a result.
-Jeff's supervisor in marketing likely has a rater bias of a
A)recency effect.
B)leniency bias.
C)contrast error.
D)error of central tendency.
E)halo effect.

Accepted Answer

Jeff's situation describes a contrast error, where his performance is compared to others rather than being evaluated on its own merits. This leads to an unfair comparison because of his lack of an MBA, rather than focusing on his actual work performance or results.

Question 3

Henry Wong was really upset after coming out of his annual performance evaluation interview. He felt betrayed and "blindsided" by some of the information that was told to him in the interview. He was told for the first time that several reports that he was responsible for completing were regularly submitted with missing information and errors. He was told that his supervisor had received several complaints over the past year about his customer service style. In addition, when his supervisor asked his peers as to his level of performance, they rated him as "1 = Poor" on collegiality and teamwork. He had thought he understood what he was supposed to do and to what level he was expected to perform. He thought he was doing a really good job all year. When he tried to explain his confusion and reasons for missing information in the reports, he felt his supervisor cut him off and was not interested in hearing his excuses. Instead of receiving his anticipated rating of "4 = Excellent", he only received a rating of "3 = Satisfactory" on most criteria, and even received "2 = Needs Improvement" on the accuracy and customer service measures. As a result, he was now only going to receive a cost of living increase of 2% rather than the merit increase of 5% that he anticipated. He now was concerned about other negative effects this might have on his career within the organization.
-Since information about Henry was collected from multi-sources and provided as feedback to him,the organization appears to be using
A)performance tests.
B)forced distributions.
C)assessment centres.
D)management by objectives.
E)360 degree performance appraisals.

Accepted Answer

360 degree performance appraisals involve collecting feedback from multiple sources including peers, subordinates, superiors, and self-assessments. In this case, Henry received feedback from multiple sources, suggesting that the organization is using 360 degree performance appraisals.

Question 4

Henry Wong was really upset after coming out of his annual performance evaluation interview. He felt betrayed and "blindsided" by some of the information that was told to him in the interview. He was told for the first time that several reports that he was responsible for completing were regularly submitted with missing information and errors. He was told that his supervisor had received several complaints over the past year about his customer service style. In addition, when his supervisor asked his peers as to his level of performance, they rated him as "1 = Poor" on collegiality and teamwork. He had thought he understood what he was supposed to do and to what level he was expected to perform. He thought he was doing a really good job all year. When he tried to explain his confusion and reasons for missing information in the reports, he felt his supervisor cut him off and was not interested in hearing his excuses. Instead of receiving his anticipated rating of "4 = Excellent", he only received a rating of "3 = Satisfactory" on most criteria, and even received "2 = Needs Improvement" on the accuracy and customer service measures. As a result, he was now only going to receive a cost of living increase of 2% rather than the merit increase of 5% that he anticipated. He now was concerned about other negative effects this might have on his career within the organization.
-Henry's supervisor was using a _________________ in the performance evaluation interview session.
A)tell-and-sell approach
B)problem-solving approach
C)tell-and-listen approach
D)participative approach
E)supervisory listening approach

Accepted Answer

The tell-and-sell approach is when the supervisor provides feedback to the employee and "sells" their own opinion on how the employee can improve. This approach is often one-way communication, with the supervisor doing most of the talking and the employee doing most of the listening.

Question 5

Marjet had just returned from a training session on rater biases.She was fascinated with the lively discussion that took place within the group being trained.Marjet agreed with her colleague,June,that their supervisor just generally seemed to evaluate everyone in their department very harshly.Michael,in purchasing,indicated that his boss seemed to be always focused on the results of work that was performed only two months before the annual performance evaluation interview.Jeff,in marketing,was frustrated because he felt that he was always being compared to other employees in the marketing department rather than on performance or results.He felt he was rated lower than his colleagues since he didn't have an MBA like they did.Helena was really happy that she got along so well with her supervisor,and they had been friends for many years prior to working with the firm.She thought she might be evaluated more leniently as a result.
-Marjet and June's supervisor likely has a rater bias of a
A)recency effect.
B)leniency bias.
C)error of central tendency.
D)strictness bias.
E)halo effect.

Accepted Answer

Jeff's statement that he is rated lower than his colleagues because he lacks an MBA gives an indication that the supervisor has a strictness bias - a tendency to rate performance at the lower end of the scale. Additionally, Michael's statement that the supervisor focuses only on recent work suggests that the supervisor does not consider overall performance but instead concentrates on the latest work, indicating that the supervisor may have a recency effect bias. However, since the question asks for the "likely rater bias," we must choose the bias that has more evidence supporting it, which is a strictness bias.

Question 6

Marjet had just returned from a training session on rater biases.She was fascinated with the lively discussion that took place within the group being trained.Marjet agreed with her colleague,June,that their supervisor just generally seemed to evaluate everyone in their department very harshly.Michael,in purchasing,indicated that his boss seemed to be always focused on the results of work that was performed only two months before the annual performance evaluation interview.Jeff,in marketing,was frustrated because he felt that he was always being compared to other employees in the marketing department rather than on performance or results.He felt he was rated lower than his colleagues since he didn't have an MBA like they did.Helena was really happy that she got along so well with her supervisor,and they had been friends for many years prior to working with the firm.She thought she might be evaluated more leniently as a result.
-Helena's supervisor likely has a rater bias of a
A)recency effect.
B)contrast error.
C)error of central tendency.
D)strictness bias.
E)halo effect.

Accepted Answer

Helena's assumption that her friendship with her supervisor may result in her being evaluated more leniently suggests that her supervisor has a halo effect bias. The halo effect bias refers to a situation in which an overall positive impression of an individual or a single trait affects the evaluation of the individual's other traits or behavior. In this case, Helena's positive relationship with her supervisor may lead to an overly positive evaluation of her work without considering other objective criteria such as actual performance or results.

Question 7

Henry Wong was really upset after coming out of his annual performance evaluation interview. He felt betrayed and "blindsided" by some of the information that was told to him in the interview. He was told for the first time that several reports that he was responsible for completing were regularly submitted with missing information and errors. He was told that his supervisor had received several complaints over the past year about his customer service style. In addition, when his supervisor asked his peers as to his level of performance, they rated him as "1 = Poor" on collegiality and teamwork. He had thought he understood what he was supposed to do and to what level he was expected to perform. He thought he was doing a really good job all year. When he tried to explain his confusion and reasons for missing information in the reports, he felt his supervisor cut him off and was not interested in hearing his excuses. Instead of receiving his anticipated rating of "4 = Excellent", he only received a rating of "3 = Satisfactory" on most criteria, and even received "2 = Needs Improvement" on the accuracy and customer service measures. As a result, he was now only going to receive a cost of living increase of 2% rather than the merit increase of 5% that he anticipated. He now was concerned about other negative effects this might have on his career within the organization.
-The performance appraisal method (that requires a rater to provide a subjective evaluation of an individual's performance)used in this organization is called a
A)checklist.
B)rating scale.
C)self-assessment scale.
D)forced-choice method.
E)paired-comparisons method.

Accepted Answer

A rating scale requires a rater to provide a subjective evaluation of an individual's performance by assigning a score or rating to certain performance criteria. The other methods listed (checklist, self-assessment scale, forced-choice method, paired-comparisons method) do not necessarily rely on subjective evaluations or assigning ratings.

Question 8

Henry Wong was really upset after coming out of his annual performance evaluation interview. He felt betrayed and "blindsided" by some of the information that was told to him in the interview. He was told for the first time that several reports that he was responsible for completing were regularly submitted with missing information and errors. He was told that his supervisor had received several complaints over the past year about his customer service style. In addition, when his supervisor asked his peers as to his level of performance, they rated him as "1 = Poor" on collegiality and teamwork. He had thought he understood what he was supposed to do and to what level he was expected to perform. He thought he was doing a really good job all year. When he tried to explain his confusion and reasons for missing information in the reports, he felt his supervisor cut him off and was not interested in hearing his excuses. Instead of receiving his anticipated rating of "4 = Excellent", he only received a rating of "3 = Satisfactory" on most criteria, and even received "2 = Needs Improvement" on the accuracy and customer service measures. As a result, he was now only going to receive a cost of living increase of 2% rather than the merit increase of 5% that he anticipated. He now was concerned about other negative effects this might have on his career within the organization.
-Which of the following characteristics of an effective employee appraisal system seems to be most lacking?
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

Accepted Answer

The scenario indicates that Henry Wong was unaware of the issues with his performance until his annual performance evaluation, suggesting a lack of frequent feedback throughout the year.

Question 9

Henry Wong was really upset after coming out of his annual performance evaluation interview. He felt betrayed and "blindsided" by some of the information that was told to him in the interview. He was told for the first time that several reports that he was responsible for completing were regularly submitted with missing information and errors. He was told that his supervisor had received several complaints over the past year about his customer service style. In addition, when his supervisor asked his peers as to his level of performance, they rated him as "1 = Poor" on collegiality and teamwork. He had thought he understood what he was supposed to do and to what level he was expected to perform. He thought he was doing a really good job all year. When he tried to explain his confusion and reasons for missing information in the reports, he felt his supervisor cut him off and was not interested in hearing his excuses. Instead of receiving his anticipated rating of "4 = Excellent", he only received a rating of "3 = Satisfactory" on most criteria, and even received "2 = Needs Improvement" on the accuracy and customer service measures. As a result, he was now only going to receive a cost of living increase of 2% rather than the merit increase of 5% that he anticipated. He now was concerned about other negative effects this might have on his career within the organization.
-Henry indicated he thought he understood what he was supposed to do and to what level he was expected to perform.In performance management terms,achievable and realistic targets set to which outcomes can be compared are referred to as
A)performance objectives
B)performance measurement
C)performance goals
D)output measures
E)outcome measures

Accepted Answer

The answer of Henry Wong was really upset after coming...

Question 10

Marjet had just returned from a training session on rater biases.She was fascinated with the lively discussion that took place within the group being trained.Marjet agreed with her colleague,June,that their supervisor just generally seemed to evaluate everyone in their department very harshly.Michael,in purchasing,indicated that his boss seemed to be always focused on the results of work that was performed only two months before the annual performance evaluation interview.Jeff,in marketing,was frustrated because he felt that he was always being compared to other employees in the marketing department rather than on performance or results.He felt he was rated lower than his colleagues since he didn't have an MBA like they did.Helena was really happy that she got along so well with her supervisor,and they had been friends for many years prior to working with the firm.She thought she might be evaluated more leniently as a result.
-Michael's supervisor in purchasing likely has a rater bias of a
A)recency effect.
B)leniency bias.
C)error of central tendency.
D)strictness bias.
E)halo effect.

Accepted Answer

Michael's supervisor is focused on the results of work that was performed only two months before the annual performance evaluation interview, indicating a recency effect bias, where more recent events or behaviors are given more weight than earlier ones.

Quiz 8: Performance Management