Chap 10 Mgt

26.
_____ is the process through which managers ensure that employees’ activities and outputs contribute to the organization’s goals.
A.

Quality analysis

B.

Administrative planning

C.

Project management

D.

Strategic planning

E.

Performance management

e

27.
Which of the following statements is true of effective performance management?
A.

It can tell top performers they are valued.

B.

It can evaluate employees without establishing standards.

C.

It averts communication between managers and their employees.

D.

It uses just one person as a source of information.

E.

It does not affect employees who meet expectations.

a

28.
Which of the following is the first step in performance management process?
A.

evaluating performance

B.

developing employee goals, behavior, and actions to achieve outcomes

C.

providing consequences for performance results

D.

defining performance outcomes for company division and department

E.

identifying improvements needed

d

29.
Vanessa is the purchasing manager at General Things, a maker of housewares. She has evaluated the first year’s performance of Hunter, a purchasing agent. In the evaluation, she noted that he places orders accurately, but when employees in the company ask about the status of their orders, he has difficulty finding the information for them in a timely manner. What should be the next step in performance management in this situation?
A.

Vanessa should define new performance outcomes that do not include checking order status.

B.

Hunter should develop more realistic goals that do not include checking order status.

C.

Vanessa and Hunter should set new performance standards that are more realistic.

D.

Vanessa should arrange for training so Hunter can learn how to look up the status of orders.

E.

Vanessa should provide Hunter with ongoing performance feedback.

d

30.
Which of the following is the last step in performance management process?
A.

defining performance outcomes for company division and department

B.

identifying improvements needed

C.

developing employee goals, behavior, and actions to achieve outcomes

D.

evaluating performance

E.

providing consequences for performance results

e

31.
Antonio, a vice president of human resources, wants to ensure that his company’s performance management process is effective, so he sets up an annual review of the process. What should that review measure?
A.

whether the performance management process includes all seven steps

B.

whether performance discussions are taking place annually

C.

how well performance standards are tailored to each individual employee

D.

whether measures of individual performance support the department’s and company’s objectives

E.

how effectively the company has defined performance management as an event, not a process

d

32.
Breanna is the new HR manager at Cummins Castings. She meets with the company’s leaders to discuss how she intends to support business objectives. Breanna tells them that Cummins has a performance management process that delivers reliable information, but it needs to be more strategic. Which of the following actions would best make performance management more strategic?
A.

telling managers not to feel uncomfortable when appraisal information is negative

B.

using appraisal information to support decisions related to employee retention and termination

C.

using appraisal information as a basis for developing employees’ knowledge and skills

D.

setting individual performance measures that are linked to the organization’s goals

E.

making employees aware of their strengths and areas in which they can improve

d

33.
The ways in which organizations use the system to provide information for day-to-day decisions about salary, benefits, and recognition programs falls under the _____ purpose of a performance management system.
A.

structured

B.

developmental

C.

strategic

D.

administrative

E.

deciding

d

34.
Miguel, the HR manager at A1 Appliances, is preparing a newly promoted employee for her role as a supervisor. In his experience, he will need to address the new supervisor’s nervousness about conducting performance appraisals. What is the most likely cause of this nervousness?
A.

Performance feedback must be aligned with the company’s strategy.

B.

A performance evaluation can help supervisors decide how to develop employees’ skills.

C.

Effective performance feedback makes employees aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

D.

Performance management supports administrative decisions that have a great impact on employees.

E.

Performance management starts with defining what the organization expects from employees.

d

35.
"Performance management serves as a basis for improving employees’ knowledge and skills." This statement corresponds to which of the following purposes of performance management?
A.

developmental purpose

B.

administrative purpose

C.

investigative purpose

D.

strategic purpose

E.

executive purpose

a

36.
Bailey, an HR manager, is coaching a supervisor who needs to develop her leadership skills. Bailey suggests that the supervisor use performance feedback as a tool for the development of her employees. Which of the following actions would be an example of this purpose of performance feedback?
A.

The supervisor limits performance feedback to formal appraisals conducted once a year.

B.

The supervisor uses performance information for day-to-day decisions about salary, benefits, and recognition programs.

C.

The supervisor uses performance measures to guide decisions about employee retention and termination.

D.

The supervisor uses performance measures to identify assignments that will help employees build on their strengths.

E.

The supervisor makes sure each employee’s goals are aligned with the company’s and department’s objectives.

d

37.
In the context of effectiveness of performance management, _____ means the extent to which a measurement tool actually measures what it is intended to measure.
A.

validity

B.

dependability

C.

acceptability

D.

reliability

E.

specificity

a

38.
In performance appraisal, _____ refers to whether an appraisal measures all the relevant aspects of performance and omits irrelevant aspects of performance.
A.

contamination

B.

reliability

C.

acceptability

D.

validity

E.

interrater reliability

d

39.
In the context of validity in performance appraisal, information that is gathered but irrelevant is called _____.
A.

feedback

B.

knowledge

C.

concatenation

D.

adjunct

E.

contamination

e

40.
Crimson Inc. is conducting their annual performance review process for employees. The company uses a tool that measures entrepreneurial behavior, and found there was a lot of irrelevant information that was also gathered. The irrelevant information gathered from the results is termed _____.
A.

deficiency

B.

validity

C.

contamination

D.

specificity

E.

reliability

c

…

d

42.
Lily, a manager at Pyramid Inc., uses a rating tool to evaluate the performance of her subordinates. However, she finds that the scale she used did not yield consistent results and could not determine if a change had taken place in the performance of the employees. Which of the following was lacking in the rating scale?
A.

validity

B.

acceptability

C.

reliability

D.

transparency

E.

specificity

c

43.
Bill and Nancy, managers at Sanzen Inc., want to the check the consistency of results for a performance measure that uses ratings by a supervisor. They want to know if different supervisors would rate the same behavior the same way. In the context of criteria for effective performance management, Bill and Nancy are interested in the measure’s _____.
A.

validity

B.

test-retest reliability

C.

specificity

D.

interrater reliability

E.

accountability

d

44.
Charles, the HR manager at Telcare Inc., establishes a performance management system for his company. He wants to check the consistency of results over time. In the context of criteria for determining the effectiveness of performance measures, Charles is trying to check the _____ of the performance management system.
A.

validity

B.

test-retest reliability

C.

specificity

D.

interrater reliability

E.

acceptability

b

45.
In the context of performance management, which of the following terms refers to a measure that obtains consistency of results over time?
A.

validity

B.

interrater reliability

C.

acceptability

D.

test-retest reliability

E.

specificity

d

46.
When Ziggurat Enterprises was preparing to roll out a new performance management system, Jenna, the human resource executive, insisted that for the new system to succeed, they must first explain it to employees. Jenna said employees need to perceive the system as fair. Why would this effort make the performance management system more effective?
A.

The employees who receive feedback must believe that the process of preparing it was not too time consuming.

B.

Specific feedback helps meet the goals of supporting strategy and developing employees.

C.

Low interrater reliability means the rating will differ depending on who is scoring the employees.

D.

When employees see performance measures as fair, they are likelier to apply the feedback.

E.

A measurement tool should accurately measure what it was designed to measure.

d

47.
Which of the following helps performance management meet the goals of supporting strategy and developing employees?
A.

strategic fit

B.

specific feedback

C.

overall opinion

D.

employee orientation

E.

generalized instruction

b

48.
Payne Corp. wants to assess the performance of its employees. It uses a questionnaire that has a usually high fit with strategy, usually high validity, usually high reliability, moderate acceptability, and very high specificity. Which of the following approaches to employee performance is being focused on by this questionnaire?
A.

results

B.

quality

C.

behavioral

D.

comparative

E.

attribute

c

49.
Donna, a supervisor at Cenate Inc., wants to compare the performance of her employees. If she does this by listing the employees from best to worst performer, which of the following terms describes her method?
A.

simple ranking

B.

mixed-standards scale

C.

critical-incident method

D.

graphic rating scale

E.

organizational behavior modification

a

50.
In the context of methods for measuring performance, alternation ranking is a variation of _____ ranking.
A.

simple

B.

distributed

C.

paired

D.

attribute

E.

scalar

a

51.
Salman, a production manager at Telecal Inc., needs to measure the performance of 10 subordinates. He writes their names on a paper and circles Karim’s name as the best-performing employee of the group. He then circles Dillon’s name as the worst employee of the group. He rates the remaining employees as second best, second worst, and so on. In the context of methods of performance measurement, Salman is using the _____ method.
A.

forced-distribution

B.

alternation ranking

C.

graphic rating

D.

mixed-standard

E.

critical-incident

b

52.
Margaret, a production manager at Falcon Inc., needs to measure the performance of 12 of her subordinates. She divides the number of employees into categories like exceptional, above average, average, and below average. She assigns a certain percentage of employees to each category to determine the quality of their performances. In the context of methods for measuring performance, Margaret is using the _____ method.
A.

alternation ranking

B.

rating attribute

C.

mixed-standard

D.

paired-comparison

E.

forced-distribution

e

53.
Paul is a manager at Firefly Corp., and he uses a rating approach to evaluate his employees. He considers one employee at a time and circles a number or a word to signify the degree to which that employee demonstrates a particular trait in the scale. Which of the following approaches is Paul using to assess his employees?
A.

mixed-standard scale

B.

critical-incident approach

C.

graphic rating scale

D.

behavioral observation scale

E.

behaviorally anchored rating scale

c

54.
The _____ method of performance measurement uses several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait.
A.

behaviorally anchored rating scale

B.

mixed-standard scale

C.

behavioral observation scale

D.

graphic rating scale

E.

behavior-response scale

b

55.
Identify a true statement about the mixed-standard scale.
A.

It is intended to define performance dimensions specifically using statements of behavior that describe different levels of performance.

B.

It uses several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait.

C.

It may use 15 behaviors to define levels of performance.

D.

It lists traits and provides a rating scale for each trait.

E.

It involves comparing each employee with each other employee to establish rankings.

b

56.
James was recently made the manager of his department at Patches Inc. He has to evaluate his subordinates’ behavior in the next two weeks and is unsure if he should use the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) or the behavioral observation scale (BOS) to assess their behavior. Which of the following characteristics of the two would help James decide the scale that would be most appropriate for him to use?
A.

A BARS asks the manager to rate the frequency with which the employee has exhibited the behavior during the rating period.

B.

A BOS discards many items in creating the rating scale.

C.

A BOS uses many instances to define the behaviors necessary for effective performance.

D.

A BARS is represented by ease of use and maintains objectivity efficiently.

E.

A BARS requires a large amount of information as compared to BOS.

c

57.
The _____ performance management method requires managers to rate the frequency with which an employee has exhibited a behavior during a rating period.
A.

behaviorally anchored rating scale

B.

behavioral observation scale

C.

graphic rating scale

D.

mixed-standard scale

E.

forced-distribution scale

b

58.
Joseph, a supervisor at H2O Chemicals Inc., needs to assess the behavior of 25 people, who constitute a large group of his subordinates. Which of the following methods combines ease of use with objectivity and a basis for providing feedback?
A.

a behavioral observation scale

B.

organizational behavior modification

C.

a behaviorally anchored rating scale

D.

the critical-incident method

E.

behaviorism

a

59.
Identify the statement that accurately characterizes behavioral approaches to performance measurement.
A.

they link the company’s goals to the specific behavior required to achieve those goals

B.

they work well for complex jobs.

C.

they provide little feedback on areas of improvement

D.

they have a low degree of validity and reliability

E.

they have a low degree of acceptability

a

60.
Ray, the CEO of Textiles Inc., believes the goals of the company must be divided into smaller departmental and individual goals. The accomplishment of these smaller goals will allow employees at all levels to contribute to accomplishment of the bigger goals of the company. In the context of measuring performance results, Ray’s belief can be best justified using _____.
A.

total quality management

B.

the behavioral observational scale method

C.

the critical-incident method

D.

statistical quality control

E.

management by objectives

e

61.
Janet, a production manager, thinks management by objectives (MBO) is a good way to measure performance results of employees in an organization. What advantage does this method offer Janet?
A.

The goals in this strategy are subjective.

B.

Managers and employees set their own goals independently.

C.

Management by objectives can have negative consequences on productivity.

D.

MBO is relatively easy to link to the organization’s goals.

E.

MBO focuses narrowly on individual goals.

d

62.
Which of the following is an advantage of using results-oriented performance measurement?
A.

It is very effective in providing guidance on how an employee can improve.

B.

It is relatively easy to link to the organization’s goals.

C.

It is generally more subjective than other kinds of performance measurement.

D.

It is highly acceptable to employees, but not to managers.

E.

It tends to be highly valid.

b

63.
Lydia, a supervisor at Sansen Inc., needs to appraise the performance of her subordinate, Charlie. In the context of performance information, which of the following is the least biased source of information for appraisal and why?
A.

Peers; they often understand an employee better than superiors.

B.

Managers; their success depends on the employee’s productivity.

C.

Customers; employees are often directly in contact with them.

D.

Subordinates; the power relationships motivate a subordinate to provide honest information.

E.

The employee himself; there is generally better agreement between an employee and his or her supervisor.

b

64.
James, the production manager of Zenfax Inc., is writing a recommendation to begin gathering performance appraisal information from peers along with other sources of information. Which of the following statements best supports James’s recommendation?
A.

Information from peers adds little value to the assessment of performance.

B.

Peers are comfortable rating employees for decisions that may affect themselves.

C.

Peers typically share the manager’s perspective of the employee being evaluated.

D.

Peers have expert knowledge of job requirements.

E.

Peers rarely observe an employee in day-to-day activities.

d

65.
Jose, the human resource manager at Wind Chimes Inc., wants to use subordinates as sources of performance appraisal information. Which statement best supports that idea?
A.

Subordinates often have reliable information about a manager’s behavior toward employees.

B.

Subordinates are often willing to say negative things about the person to whom they report.

C.

When feedback forms need subordinates’ names on them, the subordinates tend to give lower ratings to the manager.

D.

When managers receive ratings from their subordinates, the employees have less power.

E.

Subordinate evaluations are most appropriate for strategic purposes.

a

66.
Subordinate evaluations are the most appropriate to use for which of the following purposes?
A.

administrative

B.

investigative

C.

strategic

D.

developmental

E.

executive

d

67.
Komali, the founder of Astro Computing, believes in employee empowerment, so as soon as she began hiring managers, she made subordinate reviews part of her company’s performance appraisal system. However, she and her human resource manager have realized that the managers don’t always place enough emphasis on efficiency and results, perhaps out of fear that their employees will give them lower ratings. What would be the best way for Astro Computing to use subordinate feedback?
A.

Discontinue subordinate feedback, because it has undesirable consequences.

B.

Require that the employees giving subordinate feedback identify themselves.

C.

Give the employees greater opportunities to observe the behavior of their manager.

D.

Use the results of subordinate feedback to identify avenues for employee development.

E.

Limit the information gathering by subordinates to short periods once a year.

d

68.
Barry, a human resource manager at Yenzen Hotels Inc., is considering the use of self-appraisals. Which statement describes a limitation on the validity of self-appraisals?
A.

There are no disagreements between a manager and an employee when self-appraisal is used.

B.

Self-rating is the most preferred source of performance appraisal information.

C.

Employees have a tendency to inflate their self-assessments.

D.

Self-appraisals serve as an ideal basis for administrative decisions.

E.

Self-appraisals are necessary for a 360-degree performance appraisal.

c

69.
Cole, a vice president of human resources, recommends adding self-appraisals to the company’s performance management system. The other executives wonder why, since people would certainly want to inflate scores of their own performance. Which of the following statements best supports Cole’s idea of using self-appraisals?
A.

Self-ratings are rarely used alone as the only source of information.

B.

Differences between employees’ self-ratings and peer’s ratings can be fruitful topics for discussion.

C.

Employees can wait until after a feedback session to evaluate their own performance.

D.

Evaluating one’s contributions gets employees thinking about their performance.

E.

Self-appraisals are especially important when an employee’s job requires direct service to customers.

d

70.
The HR team at Gray Pharma is meeting to discuss ways to improve the validity of its performance management system. One staffer suggests adding customer evaluations of the sales representatives in order to gauge their impact on customer satisfaction and sales. What is the major challenge of this approach?
A.

Customers have a tendency to inflate assessments of salespeople’s performance.

B.

The customers are the only people who directly observe a sales representative’s performance.

C.

The employees’ jobs do not involved direct services to customer.

D.

Customer evaluations could cost hundreds of dollars for each salesperson.

E.

Information about customer satisfaction would be easier to gather from peers.

d

71.
Jonathan, a supervisor, needs to assess Megan, a subordinate’s, performance. He considers that Megan is reliable and meets all his requirements, so he will rate her as a good performer. But then Jonathan thinks about an exceptional employee, Sue, in his department, and decides that, compared with her, Megan is just average. In this way, Jonathan’s rating is a _____ error.
A.

horns

B.

contrast

C.

leniency

D.

halo

E.

distributional

b

72.
Clayton, a supervisor, needs to rate the performance of 20 subordinates. He uses a rating scale to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10. He rates 18 employees at 5, which leads to central tendency. In the context of types of rating errors, Clayton commits a _____ error.
A.

distributional

B.

contrast

C.

horns

D.

statistical

E.

halo

a

73.
Oswald & Rutabaga, CPAs, brought in an HR consulting firm to evaluate the firm’s performance management system. The firm has offices in six locations, and the manager of each location rates the office’s staff members using a 5-point rating scale. After studying the appraisal results from the past three years, the consultants reported that they cannot make comparisons among the offices. Which of the following is the most likely problem?
A.

The consultants aren’t qualified to analyze this type of rating system.

B.

One office has exceptional people, so contrast errors are occurring.

C.

The managers let their opinion of one quality color their opinion of others.

D.

The managers are making distributional errors, each using only part of the rating scale.

E.

The managers tend to give higher ratings to people they consider similar to themselves.

d

74.
Roberto, a manager at Z-Cart Inc., is asked by his manager to rate his subordinates’ performances. He needs to rate 30 employees on a scale that ranges from 1 to 10. He rates 25 employees with a score of 8. In doing so, Roberto commits a rating error. In the context of types of rating errors, Roberto’s mistake is called _____.
A.

central tendency

B.

halo error

C.

horns error

D.

leniency

E.

statistical error

d

75.
Jacinta, a production manager at Alphonso Inc., needs to evaluate the performance of her employees. She asks her subordinate, June, to carry out this job. June uses a rating scale, which ranges from 1 to 10, to rate 50 employees. She gives a score of 3 to 39 employees. In doing so, June commits a _____ error.
A.

mean inclination

B.

strictness

C.

central tendency

D.

halo effect

E.

statistical

b

76.
What is the name of the rating error that leads employees to believe that no aspect of their performance needs improvement?
A.

contrast error

B.

halo error

C.

horn error

D.

strictness error

E.

central tendency error

b

77.
When an employee evaluates his or her manager low on all performance criteria due to dissatisfaction with the manager’s disposition, the employee has most likely committed a(n) _____.
A.

error based on similarity

B.

halo error

C.

central tendency

D.

horns error

E.

contrast error

d

78.
How can data analytics improve the measurement of employees’ performance?
A.

by training raters to look at many aspects of performance

B.

by showing raters how errors affect their rating decisions

C.

by preventing raters from making distributional errors

D.

by finding patterns in an employee’s behavior

E.

by indicating all the circumstances, intentions, and outcomes associated with an employee’s behavior

d

79.
Under which of the following circumstances is appraisal politics most likely to occur?
A.

when top executives forbid distorted ratings

B.

when the goals of rating are compatible with one another

C.

when performance appraisal results are directly linked to developmental programs

D.

when senior employees tell newcomers stories about distorted ratings

E.

when performance appraisal is not directly linked to highly desirable rewards

d

80.
When Xavier joined Big Tuna Corporation as its human resource manager, he was surprised to hear some of the executives repeatedly laughing over stories about how the company’s founder ensured that his fraternity brothers moved into management positions. According to the stories, these employees had a routine of Friday-night drinks and basketball, during which time they painted rosy pictures of one another’s accomplishments—stories that embellished the performance appraisals and influenced later staffing decisions. Xavier talked to some employees about performance management at Big Tuna and learned that the system was widely viewed as corrupt. What can Xavier do, besides discouraging the storytelling, to decrease the political behavior related to performance management?
A.

He should learn to accept political behavior, because it occurs in every organization.

B.

He should make sure that raters are accountable to each employee being evaluated.

C.

He should make sure appraisal results are directly linked to highly desirable rewards.

D.

He should persuade executives not to tolerate or ignore distorted ratings.

E.

He should train managers to list only the accomplishments their employees are aware of.

d

81.
Paula, the CEO of Gester Inc., wants to carry out the first company-wide performance appraisal. However, she needs to make sure that the information obtained for performance appraisal is free of bias, and that the managers have provided information about subordinates without any personal issues influencing the information. Which of the following options will be assist Paula in obtaining her objective?
A.

Paula must focus on obtaining information only from supervisors of employees being appraised because managers have incentives for giving accurate information.

B.

Paula must occasionally work alongside the employees to ensure that they are working diligently.

C.

Paula must personally question all the managers who appraise their subordinates in the performance appraisal as this will ensure integrity of information.

D.

Paula must devise a policy that focuses on confidentiality of appraisal information once it is gathered from different sources because this will ensure security of information.

E.

Paula must hold calibration meetings because they hold managers accountable for the appraisal information they provide about their subordinates.

e

82.
Identify a way in which an organization can promote fairness and reduce political behavior in the appraisal system.
A.

use different performance standards to evaluate different employees

B.

train managers to use the appraisal process

C.

discourage employees from discussing their weaknesses

D.

require that managers give feedback once a year during the annual appraisal

E.

encourage managers to recognize accomplishments that only employees have identified

b

83.
Jillian, a supervisor in a shoe store, observes Frank, an employee, becoming anxious and defensive when a customer complains about some shoes. The customer reacts to Frank’s behavior by raising her voice and demanding to talk to a manager. When should Jillian give Frank performance feedback related to his handling of customer complaints?
A.

at Frank’s annual performance appraisal

B.

within the next few weeks, whenever she has time for a formal meeting with Frank

C.

as soon as she has time to list all of Frank’s areas for improvement

D.

as soon as she is finished talking with the complaining customer

E.

during the next month in which performance appraisals are scheduled

d

84.
What attitude do employees typically express toward performance feedback?
A.

They prefer not to get feedback, because the experience feels awkward.

B.

They prefer to get all their feedback at one time, during an annual performance review.

C.

They like to be surprised, especially if the feedback is positive.

D.

They appreciate regular feedback, because they want to know if they are on track.

E.

They are most engaged when the company schedules feedback every few months.

d

85.
Selena, a supervisor at Truck-All Transport, asks Curtis, the human resource manager, for advice on delivering performance feedback. Selena finds that the meetings tend to be confrontational and don’t lead to performance improvement. She tells Curtis how she carefully fills out the appraisal form ahead of time and then invites the employee into the conference room to discuss her feedback immediately, before the employee has time to think up excuses for poor performance. What advice should Curtis give Selena for delivering performance feedback?
A.

Selena should move the feedback meetings into her own office.

B.

Selena should have Curtis conduct the feedback meetings.

C.

Selena should forbid employees from overstating their accomplishments.

D.

Selena should give employees a chance to complete a self-assessment ahead of time.

E.

Selena should define all areas for discussion when she fills out the appraisal form.

d

86.
Which of the following approaches to performance feedback is generally most effective?
A.

problem-solving

B.

tell-and-sell

C.

tell-and-listen

D.

tell-and-train

E.

listen-and-sell

a

87.
The _____ approach to performance feedback is used by most managers.
A.

problem-solving

B.

tell-and-sell

C.

tell-and-listen

D.

tell-and-train

E.

listen-and-sell

b

88.
How can managers improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process?
A.

by keeping the feedback session short and concentrating on only the positive aspects of performance

B.

by using the tell-and-sell approach during the feedback session

C.

by avoiding decisions about following up on goals as these tend to intimidate the employee

D.

by letting employees voice their opinions and discuss performance goals during the feedback process

E.

by focusing on the employee’s personality

d

89.
Which of the following managers is using the most effective approach to conducting a performance feedback session?
A.

Alice focuses on her employees’ personalities, as she helps each one work with her to solve problems.

B.

Rebekah tells each employee his or her ratings and then justifies each rating, citing specific behaviors.

C.

Colin goes through the evaluation form, point by point, telling why he provided the information in each item.

D.

Dan works with each employee to solve performance problems respectfully, focusing on behaviors.

E.

Estelle lets the employee voice his or her opinions, and then she replies with her assessment of the employee’s personality traits.

d

90.
Jade is giving feedback to an employee who hopes to move into a supervisory role someday. Which statement represents the most effective kind of feedback?
A.

You don’t seem very motivated lately.

B.

You need to demonstrate stronger leadership if you want a promotion.

C.

You are well organized, and your coworkers really like you.

D.

Last week, when we had a problem, your comments shifted the team from complaining to problem solving.

E.

When we have problems, you have a great attitude, and that will help you as a supervisor someday.

d

91.
Besides a discussion of the employee’s past behavior, what other topic(s) are most important to include in a performance feedback meeting?
A.

a description of the employee’s personality

B.

the supervisor "telling and selling" the ratings

C.

opinions about other employees in the organization

D.

goal setting and a decision about when to follow up

E.

strategic planning and a link to personal goals

d

92.
Ignacio is a hardworking, reliable employee in a warehouse. His supervisor notices that this is the fifth year in a row in which Ignacio’s performance appraisal shows that he has met requirements for every performance standard of his job. Even so, the supervisor has identified areas for improvement. Which statement gives the most significant reason for seeking improvement in Ignacio’s performance?
A.

Ignacio has a poor attitude; the supervisor believes that if Ignacio improves his performance, his attitude will improve as well.

B.

Ignacio has high levels of ability and motivation, which the supervisor wants to put to good use.

C.

There is no reason for Ignacio to improve; the supervisor has a policy of always finding something to criticize.

D.

Ignacio may seek further career development within the company, which will be aided by improving his performance.

E.

If Ignacio does not respond to the supervisor’s suggestions, the supervisor will have to demote or terminate him.

d

93.
Roxanne, a new employee at Fenz Pharmaceuticals, has demonstrated low productivity for a long period. Her manager evaluates her performance and finds that she requires more training to improve her productivity. In the context of improving employee’s performance, Roxanne lacks _____.
A.

the required motivation

B.

the necessary abilities

C.

accountability

D.

ethical values

E.

integrity

b

94.
The receptionist at Madcap Advertising is punctual, polite, and always cheerful. The firm’s employees and customers all love her. However, she has difficulty with the clerical tasks that the firm’s prior receptionists handled. The receptionist’s supervisor recommends redesigning the receptionist’s job. That recommendation would be most appropriate in which of the following situations?
A.

The employee is low in both ability and motivation to meet standards.

B.

The employee has the ability to do better, but lacks the necessary motivation.

C.

The employee is highly motivated, but lacks ability unless she gets training.

D.

The employee is highly motivated but lacks ability, and training is not expected to help.

E.

The employee is motivated, but does not understand the significance of the problem.

d

95.
Gavin, a supervisor, is discussing an employee with Eileen, the human resource manager at his company. The employee’s performance has been falling, and the employee has been absent on several workdays. Gavin is concerned about this change in behavior. The HR manager suggests that Gavin encourage the employee to contact the employee assistance program (EAP) for a referral to a counselor. In which situation would Eileen’s advice be most appropriate?
A.

The employee no longer has the ability to carry out the tasks required for the job.

B.

The employee probably would respond to some praise and encouragement.

C.

The employee is unaware of the significance of the performance problem.

D.

The employee has the necessary skills, but lacks motivation.

E.

The employee lacks motivation as well as the necessary knowledge and skills.

d

96.
Jim, a sales manager at Elexon Inc., finds that Bill, a salesman, lacks motivation to perform well in his job. In the context of finding solutions to performance problems, which of the following is the right way to deal with this situation?
A.

Jim must reduce Bill’s pay to punish him.

B.

Jim must warn Bill that he will be demoted if his performance continues to be poor.

C.

Jim must ask Bill to learn from salespeople who perform better than he does.

D.

Jim must counsel Bill to help him understand the factors that are affecting his motivation.

E.

Jim must ask Bill to take a vacation to think about what is causing his lack of motivation.

d

97.
Lydia, a supervisor, is meeting with an employee whose performance has deteriorated since the previous year. The employee used to do the same work well, so Lydia believes the problem is not likely to be related to ability. Which of the following responses would be most likely to help in this situation?
A.

offering to make coaching available

B.

enrolling the employee in a training program

C.

directing the employee’s attention to the significance of the problem

D.

investigating whether the employee feels she has been treated fairly

E.

demoting the employee

d

98.
Gina considers Craig, her office assistant, to be both highly skilled and highly motivated. Craig frequently surprises Gina with his creative problem solving, above and beyond the basic job requirements. What response should Gina make to Craig’s performance?
A.

She should not respond to Craig’s behavior because no changes are necessary.

B.

She should refer Craig for help with stress management.

C.

She should offer Craig feedback that is more detailed in areas needing improvement.

D.

She should reward Craig and offer him opportunities for career development.

E.

She should investigate whether Craig feels he is being treated fairly.

d

99.
The human resource department of Alpha-Omega Corp. is reviewing its performance management system to make sure it can show fairness if an employee ever complains of discrimination. Which of the following statements is a problem that must be addressed if Alpha-Omega is to meet that goal?
A.

Research shows that female managers give fairer appraisals than male managers.

B.

Most appraisal instruments are so objective that supervisors find them inflexible.

C.

Employees assume that rating errors are common, though they are rare.

D.

Evidence shows that raters tend to give higher ratings to persons of the rater’s own race.

E.

Performance management systems often punish people for whistleblowing.

d

100.
According to research evidence, in which of the following situations would an employer most have to guard against raters giving unfair low performance ratings to male employees?
A.

when most of the employees in a work group are male

B.

when supervisors have received rater training

C.

when the federal government’s Uniform Guidelines do not apply to performance ratings

D.

when most of the employees in a work group are female

E.

when the performance management system is legally defensible

d

101.
When Bolton Inc. dismissed Matthew, his supervisor told him the reason was that he did not meet performance standards. The supervisor assumed that would prevent Matthew from claiming he had been dismissed unjustly. What is the main flaw in the supervisor’s assumption?
A.

People who file lawsuits for unjust dismissal are usually lying.

B.

People who sue for unjust dismissal usually claim the real reason for the dismissal differs from what the employer said.

C.

People who file lawsuits for unjust dismissal are irrational.

D.

Lawsuits often challenge an organization’s performance management system.

E.

The supervisor provided Matthew with inadequate coaching.

b

102.
Paige was recently dismissed from her job in a hardware store. She had often been late for work, and she was so unresponsive to customers’ needs that the store had received several complaints about her. Furthermore, she frequently complained about policies and procedures. A week after Paige’s dismissal, the store’s manager learned that Paige intended to sue the company for wrongful dismissal. She was saying she had complained of management’s misdeeds, so the company retaliated. How should the human resource department have prepared the company for this situation?
A.

by using a single well-trained rater to evaluate each employee and by having upper-level managers review those evaluations

B.

by dismissing poor performers quickly, rather than raising false hopes with coaching and training programs

C.

by basing the performance management system on measurement of employee traits, not behaviors

D.

by setting up a performance management system that documents employee performance problems

E.

by setting up a performance management system that provides evidence of management’s misdeeds

d

103.
How can an organization protect itself against discrimination and unjust dismissal lawsuits?
A.

The organization should provide for a review of all top performance ratings by senior managers.

B.

Performance measures should evaluate personal traits.

C.

The requirements for job success should be clearly communicated to employees.

D.

The organization should use a single rater to rate all the employees.

E.

The organization should dismiss poor performers.

c

104.
Gary, the CEO of Zansofel Inc., believes in providing employees with a flexible and open environment to enhance their skills and growth in the company. In the context of performance management and ethical issues associated with it, which of the following would Gary most likely oppose and why?
A.

He would oppose calibration meetings because they question the integrity of performance appraisal information provided by managers.

B.

He would oppose 360-degree appraisal because it gathers information from colleagues and subordinates, which can make the employees self-conscious.

C.

He would be against having a legally defensible performance management system because it focuses on scrutinizing employees who file a case against the company.

D.

He would be against electronic monitoring systems because they make the employees feel like robots and that they are being watched.

E.

He would be against top management carrying out performance appraisal of employees because it may lead to appraisal politics.

d

105.
The management of Rest Assured Insurance wants to begin electronically monitoring the computer work of the employees who process claims filed by customers. Savannah, the company’s human resource executive, expects that employees will resist the monitoring, because they will feel robbed of their human dignity. How could the human resource department best address this concern?
A.

by telling employees the company has reason to believe something is wrong with their performance

B.

by keeping quiet the real purpose of the monitoring

C.

by making the data available on the company’s intranet, so employees can compare their daily results with what others accomplished

D.

by applying the data to employee development programs that can help employees advance in their careers

E.

by sending the data to employee assistance programs to help with their mental health problems

d