Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dessler 09
Dessler 09
Multiple Choice
167
5. Managers following a traditional performance appraisal system will
typically meet with employees on a ________ basis.
a. daily
b. weekly
c. monthly
d. bi-monthly
e. yearly
(e; moderate; p. 336)
8. Which of the following is not one of the guidelines for effective goal
setting?
a. assign specific goals
b. assign measurable goals
c. assign challenging but doable goals
d. assign consequences for performance
e. encourage participation
(d; moderate; p. 339)
168
10. The M in the acronym for SMART goals stands for ________.
a. moderate
b. measurable
c. meaningful
d. mid-range
e. merit
(b; moderate; p. 339)
11. The A in the acronym for SMART goals stands for ________.
a. actionable
b. appropriate
c. attainable
d. attitude
e. asset
(c; moderate; p. 339)
12. Participatively set goals result in higher performance than assigned goals
when ________.
a. participatively set goals are more difficult
b. assigned goals are more difficult
c. the rewards are also higher
d. participatively set goals are used consistently
e. the goals are doable
(a; moderate; p. 339)
13. When using goal setting in performance management, the goals should be
________.
a. difficult
b. challenging
c. doable
d. specific
e. all of the above
(e; easy; p. 339)
14. Who is the primary person responsible for doing the actual appraising of
an employee’s performance?
a. the employee’s direct supervisor
b. the company appraiser
c. the human resource manager
d. the EEO contact person
e. none of the above
(a; moderate; p. 340)
169
15. Which of the following is not a role played by the HR department
regarding performance appraisals?
a. training of supervisors
b. monitoring the appraisal system
c. appraising of employees
d. ensuring compliance with EEO laws
e. advising regarding appraisal tools and procedures
(c; moderate; p. 340)
16. When designing an actual appraisal method, the two basic considerations
are ________.
a. who should measure and when to measure
b. when to measure and what to measure
c. what to measure and who should measure
d. what to measure and how to measure
e. when to measure and how to measure
(d; moderate; p. 341)
170
20. If a performance appraisal focuses on an employee’s ability to “identify
and analyze problems” or to “maintain harmonious and effective working
relationships,” then the performance appraisal is focused on measuring
________.
a. generic dimensions of performance
b. performance of actual duties
c. employee competency
d. achievement of objectives
e. all of the above
(c; moderate; p. 344; AACSB: reflective thinking)
22. The ________ method of performance appraisal involves listing all the
subordinates to be rated, crossing out the names of any not known well
enough to rank, indicating the employee who is the highest on each
characteristic being measured and who is the lowest, and then alternating
between the next highest and lowest until all employees have been ranked.
a. alternation ranking
b. graphic rating scale
c. Likert
d. MBO
e. constant sum rating scale
(a; moderate; p. 344)
171
23. Alternation ranking refers to an appraisal method, which ________.
a. is based on progress made toward the accomplishment of measurable
goals
b. combines the benefits of narratives, critical incidents, and quantified
scales by assigning scale points with specific examples of good or
poor performance
c. requires that the supervisor keep a log of positive and negative
examples of a subordinate’s work-related behavior
d. requires a supervisor to evaluate performance by assigning
predetermined percentages of those being rated into performance
categories
e. involves listing all the subordinates to be rated, crossing out the names
of any not known well enough to rank, indicating the employee who is
the highest on each characteristic being measured and who is the
lowest, and then alternating between the next highest and lowest until
all employees have been ranked
(e; moderate; p. 344)
24. The most popular method for ranking employees is the ________ method.
a. graphic ranking scale
b. constant sum ranking scale
c. alternation ranking
d. paired comparison
e. forced distribution
(c; moderate; p. 344)
25. Suppose you have five employees to rate. You make a chart of all possible
pairs of employees for each trait being evaluated. Then, you indicate the
better employee of the pair for each pair. Finally, you add up the number
of positives for each employee. In this case, you have used the ________
method of performance appraisal.
a. graphic ranking scale
b. constant sum ranking scale
c. alternation ranking
d. paired comparison
e. forced distribution
(d; moderate; p. 344)
172
26. Forced distribution refers to an appraisal method, which ________.
a. is based on progress made toward the accomplishment of measurable
goals
b. combines the benefits of narratives, critical incidents, and quantified
scales by assigning scale points with specific examples of good or
poor performance
c. requires that the supervisor keep a log of positive and negative
examples of a subordinate’s work-related behavior
d. requires a supervisor to evaluate performance by assigning
predetermined percentages of those being rated into performance
categories
e. involves listing all the subordinates to be rated, crossing out the names
of any not known well enough to rank, indicating the employee who is
the highest on each characteristic being measured and who is the
lowest, and then alternating between the next highest and lowest until
all employees have been ranked
(d; moderate; p. 345)
173
29. Which of the following measurement methods rates employee
performance relative to other employees?
a. graphic rating scale
b. forced distribution
c. likert scale
d. constant sums rating
e. critical incident method
(b; moderate; p. 346)
30. With the ________ method, the supervisor keeps a log of positive and
negative examples of a subordinate’s work-related behavior.
a. alternation ranking
b. constant sums rating
c. forced distribution
d. narrative forms
e. critical incident
(e; easy; p. 348)
32. All of the following are advantages of using the critical incident method
for appraising performance except that ________.
a. it provides examples of good performance
b. it does not include a numerical rating
c. it provides examples of poor performance
d. it reflects performance from throughout the appraisal period
e. incidents can be tied to performance goals
(b; moderate; p. 348)
174
33. Which appraisal method combines the benefits of narratives, critical
incidents, and quantified scales by assigning scale points with specific
examples of good or poor performance?
a. behaviorally anchored rating scale
b. graphic rating scale
c. constant sums rating scale
d. alternation ranking
e. none of the above
(a; easy; p. 350)
175
37. Which step in developing a behaviorally anchored rating scale involves
clustering definitions and critical incidents, reassigning each incident to
the cluster where it fits best and then determining the level of agreement
among the group as to the allocation of incidents?
a. first
b. second
c. third
d. fourth
e. fifth
(c; moderate; p. 351)
38. All of the following are advantages of behaviorally anchored rating scales
(BARS) except that they ________.
a. are more accurate
b. provide clearer standards
c. are time consuming
d. are reliable
e. help explain performance appraisal ratings to appraisees
(c; easy; p. 353)
176
40. Which of the following is a problem with using MBO?
a. a tendency to set unclear objectives
b. a tendency to set unmeasurable objectives
c. it is time consuming
d. tug of war between subordinate and manager regarding goals
e. all of the above
(e; moderate; p. 353)
41. Graphic rating scales are subject to all of the following problems except
________.
a. unclear standards
b. halo effects
c. complexity
d. central tendency
e. leniency
(c; difficult; p. 356)
42. When different supervisors define levels of performance (good, fair, poor)
differently, unfair appraisals could result due to a problem with ________.
a. unclear standards
b. halo effects
c. complexity
d. central tendency
e. leniency
(a; moderate; p. 355)
44. Jason is generally considered unfriendly at work. His supervisor rates him
low on the trait “gets along well with others” but also rates him lower on
other traits unrelated to socialization at work. Jason’s performance
appraisal may be unfair due to ________.
a. impression management
b. bias
c. stereotyping
d. halo effects
e. strictness
(d; difficult; p. 356)
177
45. Some supervisors, when filling in rating scales, tend to avoid the highs and
lows on the scale and rate most people in the middle. This ________
means that all employees may be rated average.
a. halo effect
b. stereotyping
c. central tendency
d. strictness
e. leniency
(c; moderate; p. 356)
46. The best way of reducing the problem of central tendency in performance
appraisals is to ________.
a. rank employees
b. be aware of the problem
c. train supervisors to avoid it
d. impose a distribution for performance
e. consider the purpose of the appraisal
(a; difficult; p. 356)
47. The ________ problem occurs when supervisors tend to rate all their
subordinates consistently high.
a. central tendency
b. leniency
c. strictness
d. bias
e. halo effect
(b; easy; p. 356)
48. The ________ problem occurs when supervisors tend to rate all their
subordinates consistently low.
a. central tendency
b. leniency
c. strictness
d. bias
e. halo effect
(c; easy; p. 356)
49. Which big five personality trait is associated with performance appraisal
ratings that are too strict?
a. agreeableness
b. extraversion
c. conscientiousness
d. openness
e. neuroticism
(c; difficult; p. 356)
178
50. Which big five personality trait is associated with performance appraisal
ratings that are too lenient?
a. agreeableness
b. extraversion
c. conscientiousness
d. openness
e. neuroticism
(a; difficult; p. 356)
52. When an employee’s personal characteristics such as age, race, and gender
influence a supervisor’s evaluation of his or her performance, the problem
of ________ has occurred.
a. bias
b. stereotyping
c. central tendency
d. halo affect
e. strictness
(a; easy; p. 356)
179
55. Performance appraisals may be conducted by ________.
a. the immediate supervisor
b. peers
c. rating committees
d. subordinates
e. all of the above
(e; easy; p. 359)
57. While peer appraisals have many benefits, one problem is ________,
when several peers collaborate to rate each other highly.
a. social loafing
b. group think
c. logrolling
d. alliance forging
e. impression management
(c; moderate; p. 359)
180
60. Firms that use ________ let subordinates anonymously rate their
supervisor’s performance.
a. downward feedback
b. upward feedback
c. MBO
d. narratives
e. critical incidents
(b; moderate; p. 361)
61. What process allows top management to diagnose the management styles
of supervisors, identify potential “people” problems, and take corrective
action with individual supervisors as necessary?
a. strategic performance appraisal
b. organizational development
c. upward feedback
d. MBO
e. critical incidents
(c; moderate; p. 361)
181
64. You are conducting an appraisal interview with an employee who is
satisfactory, but not promotable. Which incentive listed below would
likely be the least effective for maintaining satisfactory performance in
this situation?
a. time off
b. small bonus
c. compliments
d. additional professional development
e. additional authority
(d; difficult; p. 363)
67. Which of the following responses is not typical during a negative appraisal
interview?
a. denial
b. anger
c. relief
d. aggression
e. retreat
(c; easy; p. 364)
182
68. When a supervisor must criticize a subordinate in an appraisal interview, it
is best to ________.
a. hold the meeting with other people who can diffuse the negative
situation
b. provide examples of critical incidents
c. acknowledge the supervisor’s personal biases in the situation
d. provide feedback once per year
e. surprise the employee so they cannot develop excuses for poor
performance
(b; difficult; p. 365)
69. Subordinates may feel dissatisfied with their appraisal interview when
they ________.
a. feel threatened during the interview
b. have an opportunity to express their ideas
c. have an opportunity to influence the course of the interview
d. have a constructive interviewer conduct the interview
e. are shown specific examples of their poor performance
(a; moderate; p. 365)
True/ False
71. Performance appraisals assume that the employee understood what his or
her performance standards were. (T; easy; p. 336)
72. Supervisors should provide employees with feedback, development, and
incentives necessary to help employees eliminate performance
deficiencies or to continue to perform well. (T; easy; p. 336)
73. A properly designed performance management system utilizes yearly
meetings to ensure continuous improvement in the employee’s capacity
and performance. (F; moderate; p. 336)
74. Goals should be challenging, but not so difficult that they appear
impossible or unrealistic. (T; easy; p. 339)
75. The evidence suggests that participatively set goals consistently result in
higher performance than assigned goals. (F; moderate; p. 339)
183
76. The HR department conducts performance appraisals, develops the
appraisal tools, and monitors the appraisal system. (F; difficult; p. 340)
77. The alternation ranking method is the simplest and most popular technique
for appraising performance. (F; moderate; p. 341)
78. When actual job duties are appraised, the idea is to focus on the extent to
which the employee exhibits the competencies that the employer values.
(F; difficult; p. 344)
79. The forced distribution method is similar to grading on a curve meaning
that predetermined percentages of those being rated are placed into
performance categories. (T; moderate; p. 345)
80. The basic problem with rankings is that while it is not difficult to identify
the extreme good and bad performers, it is difficult to differentiate
meaningfully between the others. (T; moderate; p. 347)
81. Top employees often outperform the average employees by as much as
100%. (T; moderate; p. 346)
82. BARS is a rating approach that involves keeping a record of uncommonly
good or undesirable examples of an employee’s work-related behavior and
reviewing it with the employee at predetermined times. (F; easy; p. 348)
83. MBO relates an employee’s work goals to his or her departmental goals
and to the organization’s goals. (T; moderate; p. 353)
84. Electronic performance monitoring (EPM) allows supervisors to
electronically monitor the amount of computerized data an employee is
process each day. (T; easy; p. 354; AACSB: use of IT)
85. The advantages of the BARS appraisal tool include accuracy, clear
standards, and consistency. (T; moderate; p. 353)
86. Graphic rating scales are the most reliable for rating performance. (F;
moderate; p. 355)
87. Central tendency is defined as the influence of a rater’s general impression
on ratings of specific ratee qualities. (F; moderate; p. 356)
88. Performance appraisal ratings tend to be more positive when the purpose
is to award promotions and/or pay raises than when the purpose is to
determine employee development needs. (T; moderate; p. 356)
89. Rater idiosyncratic biases account for the largest percentage of the
observed variance in performance ratings. (T; difficult; p. 356)
90. Courts have often found that inadequacies in an employer’s appraisal
system were related to illegal discriminatory actions in cases involving
layoffs, promotions, and discharges. (T; moderate; p. 360)
91. Peer appraisals have been shown to have an immediate positive impact on
improving task motivation, cohesion, and satisfaction, while reducing
social loafing. (T; moderate; p. 359)
92. Managers who receive feedback from subordinates who identify
themselves view the upward appraisal process more negatively than do
managers who receive anonymous feedback. (F; difficult; p. 361)
93. An appraisal interview is used to make plans for new hires as they move
through the selection and training process. (F; moderate; p. 362)
184
94. 360-degree feedback is generally used for development purposes, rather
than for pay increases. (T; moderate; p. 362)
95. 360-degree feedback is sometimes called the wheel of feedback because
ratings are collected from all around an employee. (F; easy; p. 362)
96. The goal for a supervisor conducting a satisfactory-not promotable
appraisal interview is to maintain satisfactory performance by finding
incentives that are important to the person. (T; easy; p. 363)
97. The goal for a supervisor conducting an unsatisfactory-correctable
appraisal interview is to encourage the employee by providing
reinforcements like job enlargement and compliments. (F; difficult; p.
363)
98. While formal written warnings are provided too late to salvage an
employee’s performance and position at the company, they are useful in
court proceedings. (F; moderate; p. 362; AACSB: communication)
99. Written formal warnings of poor performance should make it clear that the
employee was aware of the standards and show the employee had an
opportunity to correct the behavior. (T; easy; p. 362; AACSB:
communication)
100. Performance appraisals are a link between corporate strategy,
departmental goals, employee goals and employee performance in the
overall performance management process. (T; moderate; p. 366)
185
Essay/ Short Answer
186
102. Explain what the SMART acronym tells us about goal setting. (easy; p.
339)
104. Explain the three steps in the performance appraisal process. (easy; p. 340)
105. What are the three types of performance that performance appraisals can
measure? Explain each one. (moderate; p. 341)
187
106. What is a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)? How would one go
about developing a BARS? (difficult; p. 350)
188
107. Explain how an MBO program works and describe the six steps involved
in this type of program. (moderate; p. 353)
Step 1: Set the organization’s goals. The first step involves the
establishment of an organization-wide plan for the coming year
and to set company goals.
Step 2: Set departmental goals. Next, department heads will take
these company goals and, in conjunction with their superiors, set
goals for their departments.
Step 3: Discuss departmental goals. Department heads will discuss
the departmental goals with all subordinates and ask employees to
set their own preliminary individual goals. These individual goals
should show how each employee can contribute to the
department’s goals.
Step 4: Define expected results. Department heads and their
employees set short-term individual performance targets.
Step 5: Performance reviews. Department heads compare each
employee’s actual and targeted performance.
Step 6: Provide feedback. Department heads and employees
discuss and evaluate the employee’s progress.
189
108. Describe the four basic types of appraisal interviews. (moderate; p. 363)
109. What four techniques can help to avoid and/or minimize appraisal
problems like bias, leniency, and central tendency? (moderate; p. 357)
190
110. There are several guidelines for developing an appraisal process that is
legally defensible. Identify four of these guidelines. (moderate; p. 360)
191