D) Less satisfaction with their work.
Employee dissatisfaction with the appraisal process is associated with all but which of the following? A) Lower satisfaction with the firm. B) More likely to quit. C) Less satisfied with their pay
Less satisfaction with their work.
Horn error is to ______ error as first impression error is to recency error. A) leniency B) central tendency C) halo
D) spillover
MBO improves boss and subordinate communication and reduces performance pressure and stress. A) TRUE
B) FALSE
______ is not a criterion for evaluating appraisal formats. A) personnel research potential B) conformity to EEOC guidelines C) administrative ease
D) employee development potential
conformity to EEOC guidelines
The appraisal format that is poorest for employee development is ______________ A) MBO B) BARS C) standard rating scales
D) ranking
Your performance appraisals are likely to be higher if your boss is in a bad mood and generally grumpy than they are cheerful. A) TRUE
B) FALSE
____ errors are the most difficult form of error to eliminate. A) Clone B) Leniency C) Central tendency
D) Halo
Rater training aimed at reducing leniency, severity, halo, clone and central tendency are _____________ training. A) performance-standard B) performance-dimension C) rater-error
D) behavior modeling
Unclear job expectations are one of the most significant barriers to good performance. A) TRUE
B) FALSE
The final issue in designing merit guidelines is how much ______________ A) raise should an average employer receive B) increase should the poorest performer receive C) difference should there be between different performance levels
D) increase should the best performers receive
difference should there be between different performance levels
Which of the following was the strongest attack by Edward Deming against the appraisal process? A) Supervisors' attitude is the major determinant of observed performance quality. B) Performance is not always quantifiable. C) The work situation is the major determinant of performance.
D) Appraisals, across the board, tend to demotivate learners.
C)The work situation is the major determinant of performance.
In defining what constitutes performance, managers are divided on three categories. Which of the following is not one of the focuses of these managers? A) Task performance B) Financial impact of positive behaviors C) Negative behaviors
D) Both task performance and negative behaviors
B)Financial impact of positive behaviors
In _____ ranking, each individual is compared separately with all others in the work group. A) straight B) alternation C) discrete
D) paired-comparison
Comparisons among individuals for personnel action (concerning wage increases, promotions, etc.) require some common denominator. Typically this is a numerical rating of performance. In the text example, this criterion which is used to review appraisal formats refers to the _____ criterion. A) administrative B) personnel research C) cost
D) validity
_____ tend to be more reliable than those from other sources. A) Ratings by peers B) Supervisor ratings C) Self-appraisals
D) Customer ratings
Research suggests that raters store information in the form specific behaviors. A) True
B) False
Leniency errors are the most difficult form of error to eliminate. A) True
B) False
One way to make sure that raters are motivated to rate accurately is to ensure that managers are rated on how well they utilize and develop human resources. A) True
B) False
From an EEO standpoint, performance appraisals are not subject to the same scrutiny as employment tests. A) True
B) False
Courts do not favor appraisal systems that give specific written instructions on how to complete the appraisal. A) True
B) False
What are some influences on a rater's ability to rate employees?
1. Organization values2. Competition among departments3. Differences in status between departments
4. Economic conditions
What are 4 strategies to improve performance measurement and understanding?
1. Improve Appraisal Formats2. Select the Right Raters3. Understand How Raters Process Information
4.Train Raters to Rate More Accurately
What are used as anchors in standard rating?
What are used as anchors in BARS (Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales)
What are used as anchors in MBOs (Management by Outcomes)?
Who are the raters in a 360 * feedback?
1.Supervisors2. Peers3. Self4. Customer
5. Subordinate
What factors lead raters to inaccurate appraisals?
1. guilt2.embarrassemt about giving praise3. taking things for granted4. not noticing good/bad performance5. halo effect6. dislike of confrontation
7. spending too little time on appraisal
What is performance dimension training?
exposes supervisors to performance measures to be used in rating
What is performance standard training?
provides raters with a standard of comparison for making appraisals
What are 6 issues courts stress in setting up performance appraisal systems?
1. Specific written instruction on how to complete appraisal2. Clear criteria for evaluating performance3. Adequately developed job descriptions= rational foundation for personnel decisions4. Require supervisors to provide feedback about results to employees5. Incorporate review of performance rating by higher-level supervisor
6. Consistent treatment across raters, regardless race, color, religion, sex or national origin
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I still remember the first performance review I ever got, even though it’s been almost 50 years since Ray Moeller, my first boss at GE, called me into his office and handed me a document that he called a “performance appraisal.”
I read it. It hurt.
On GE’s then four-level rating scale, he rated me in the next-to-bottom category. Ray didn’t hesitate to point out all the areas in which I, a newbie trainee on GE’s Manufacturing Training Program, had failed to meet his tough expectations. The review ended with Ray stating that, if he had to do it over, he wouldn’t hire Dick Grote.
As negative as Ray’s appraisal of my performance was, it certainly was accurate. I wasn’t doing a good job. I was a recent college grad who hadn’t yet made the emotional transition from the soft world of school to the hard world of work. Ray laid it on the line. My response was to immediately shape up and start earning my pay.
I might have reacted differently if I’d felt the review was inaccurate or unfair. The appraisal would’ve been far more painful and frustrating if it was off base. How should you respond if your manager gives you a review that seems off the mark — that leaves out a significant accomplishment, or is strongly at variance with your own evaluation of the quality of your work?
What Is a Performance Appraisal?
Start by recognizing that a performance appraisal is not a testable, provable, verifiable document that can be empirically analyzed and confirmed. It’s not the end product of a negotiation between assessor and assessee. A performance appraisal is a formal record of a supervisor’s opinion of the quality of an employee’s work.
The important word here is opinion. As long as that opinion is based on your manager’s honest assessment of how well you have done the job and is uncolored by personal biases and prejudices, the manager has done the job that is expected of them, and the matter is settled. If the manager and the employee disagree about the opinion, the manager wins.
A primary source of contention between managers and employees over performance appraisals results from the infinite human capacity for self-delusion: We all think we’re better than we really are. Research has consistently demonstrated that individuals are notoriously inaccurate in assessing the quality of their own performance, and the poorer the performer, the higher (and more inaccurate) the self-assessment is likely to be. So the first step is to accept (as I did almost 50 years ago) that the boss may in fact be right, and that their opinion may indeed be more accurate than our own.
Your Choices
With that in mind, when deciding whether to challenge a low rating, you’ve generally got three choices:
- “My boss may well be right. I’m disappointed, but I’m going to accept this and make whatever changes are necessary to justify a higher rating next year.”
- “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead! This rating is wrong, and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get it changed.”
- “I’m out of here.”
Make the choice clearly and then proceed. Here’s a question you shouldn’t ask: “What do I need to do so that you’ll rate me as ‘Exceeds Expectations’ next year?” Your boss can’t possibly answer that. You’re asking them to predict the future. Instead, here’s a question you should plan to raise later, during a coaching session or informal conversation, after the dust has settled: “Do you see any ways in which I could be making a more valuable contribution to the team?”
But What If the Manager’s Opinion Is Wrong?
The easiest performance appraisal problems to get resolved may be those where the manager’s opinion is based on factually incorrect information. For example, the manager could say “I rated you a three because your overall customer service score was a 74,” when in fact your overall customer score was a 98. This may be a case where the bad data is of sufficient importance to justify challenging the final result.
Challenging a boss’s appraisal, even in a clear-cut case of bad data, is always a ticklish matter. Be cautious. It’s not easy to say to your boss, in whatever words you choose to use, “You’re wrong.” Don’t lose sight of the fact that your boss probably has a significant investment in the appraisal you’ve decided to challenge. For most managers, writing performance appraisals is a time-consuming and emotionally arduous activity. Your boss may have had to explain and justify the rating he gave you in a calibration session with other managers, and a decision to alter your rating may force alterations of other employees’ ratings, if your company follows strict distribution guidelines. Your boss may have reviewed your appraisal in advance with their boss, and having to go back and admit that they got it wrong the first time around is awkward at best. Be sure it’s worth it.
Whatever you do, don’t try for immediate resolution. Say something at the end of the meeting like: “This assessment comes as a real surprise to me. I’d like to think about what you’ve said and written, and perhaps have another conversation before this becomes official. May I get back to you in a day or two?” That lets your boss know that you’re concerned about the accuracy of the evaluation without having to attempt to achieve instant resolution.
Then sleep on it. Hold up a figurative mirror to your past year’s performance to see whether your boss’s assessment might be on target, or at least not so far off the mark that it’s worth making a major fuss over.
When you do get back to your boss, do one of two things. Acknowledge the fact that getting the assessment served as a significant learning experience (or wake-up call), and ask for their help in understanding how you can make a more valuable contribution in the next 12 months. Or tell your boss that you have considered the appraisal carefully, and after serious thought you believe that an adjustment of the rating is justified. Produce the evidence and the examples that justify your position, keeping in mind that success — a changed rating — is probably unlikely, regardless of your evidence. As one boss I know put it to a subordinate who was taken aback by a low appraisal rating: “The message you’ve received from me is exactly what I intended to communicate.”
No matter what happens, keep the conversation professional. Your manager is not responsible for your feelings, and your boss didn’t intentionally create the emotional reaction you’re experiencing.
One important note: All of this advice assumes that your boss is not incompetent, deliberately lying, or acting with malice. Of course, that’s not always the case. If your poor performance appraisal results from the fact that your boss truly is incompetent, envious of your success, or dishonest, you’ll need to make a different calculation about your choices. But, fortunately, those cases are rare.
It’s understandable to be unhappy, even upset, when you don’t agree with your performance review, but proceeding carefully rather than acting rashly is the best approach — and the one most likely to earn you a more favorable appraisal in the future.