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Q:
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a valuable tool for understanding communication styles, appraising employees' performance, and evaluating employees' promotion potential.
Q:
Identify the problems that are associated with the informal organization.
Q:
The most frequent uses of assessment are to identify employees with managerial potential to measure current managers' strengths and weaknesses.
Q:
How is an informal leader selected? Explain the role of an informal leader.
Q:
Approaches to employee development fall into four broad categories: formal education, assessment, job experiences, and interpersonal relationships.
Q:
How is power assigned in an informal organization?
Q:
A protean career is one that frequently changes based on changes in a person's interests, abilities, and values and in the work environment.
Q:
_____ is the behavioral affliction that is defined as the temptation to be overly influenced by how the problem was presented. A) Linearity bias B) Framing bias C) Egocentrism D) Anti-statistical bias
Q:
Development implies learning that is not necessarily related to the employees current job.
Q:
The alternative behavior that is in contrast to groupthink is _____.
A) devils advocate
B) social loafing
C) polarization
D) commitment
Q:
_____ involves setting aside several minutes at the end of a meeting to examine what went well, what went poorly, and how the groups behavior could be improved in future sessions.
A) Facilitating
B) Processing
C) Polarization
D) Stimulation
Q:
Most managers rely on the _____ approach to performance feedback.
A. problem-solving
B. tell-and-sell
C. tell-and-listen
D. tell-and-train
E. listen-and-sell
Q:
Which approach 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
Q:
_____ is the process of helping a group attain resounding success, maximize its efficient use of time, and feel satisfied with its efforts.
A) Facilitation
B) Expediting
C) Conformity
D) Consensus
Q:
How does an organization 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 annual appraisal.
E. Encourage managers to recognize accomplishments that only employees have identified.
Q:
Which of the following does NOT help in reaching a consensus?
A) Conducting a straw poll to identify where people stand
B) Asking members to withdraw controversial proposals
C) Moving dissenting members to a subgroup and not involving them
D) Expediting closing of discussion through use of a go-round or fishbowl
Q:
A(n) _____ is a gathering at which managers discuss employee performance ratings and provide evidence supporting their ratings with the goal of eliminating the influence of rating errors.
A. assessment center
B. 360-degree performance appraisal
C. reliability meeting
D. performance leadership council
E. calibration meeting
Q:
_____ means group members are alert to the perceived expectations and norms of the majority, and make conscious or unconscious efforts to adapt to them.
A) Consensus
B) Conformity
C) Polarization
D) Cohesiveness
Q:
Appraisal politics are likely to occur when:
A. top executives forbid distorted ratings.
B. the goals of rating are compatible with one another.
C. performance appraisal results are directly linked to developmental programs.
D. senior employees tell newcomers stories about distorted ratings.
E. performance appraisal is not directly linked to highly desirable rewards.
Q:
Which of the following statements is true of the potential outcomes of formal group processes?
A) Group members are least stimulated by the presence of other people around them.
B) Groups have lesser capacity than an individual to examine suggestions and reject the incorrect ones.
C) Participation increases the likelihood of each members developing new interactive skills.
D) All of the above
Q:
Which rater error leads employees to believe that no aspects of their performance need improvement?
A. Contrast error
B. Halo error
C. Horn error
D. Strictness error
E. Central tendency error
Q:
In the _____, members are selected because they are experts or have relevant information to share and the time available to do so.
A) Delphi decision-making process
B) dialectic decision-making process
C) program evaluation and review technique
D) critical path method
Q:
If a student evaluating his/her professor at the end of term rates the professor low on all performance criteria due to dissatisfaction with the professor's grading scale, the student has likely committed which rater error?
A. Error based on similarity
B. Halo error
C. Central tendency
D. Horns error
E. Contrast error
Q:
The dialectic decision process begins with:
A) a devils advocate questioning others ideas.
B) identifying the explicit or implicit assumptions.
C) a clear statement of a problem to be solved.
D) creating a subgroup and empowering it to make a decision.
Q:
If different raters make different kinds of _____ errors, scores by these raters cannot be compared.
A. similarity
B. distributional
C. contrast
D. halo
E. horns
Q:
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the nominal group technique?
A) Opportunity for equal participation by all members
B) Absence of domination by a single member
C) Tight control of time
D) High feelings of cohesiveness
Q:
A distributional error in which a rater favors lower rankings is known as _____.
A. contrast error
B. central tendency
C. strictness
D. leniency
E. halo error
Q:
_____ is the process by which all ideas, even unusual and impractical ones, are encouraged without criticism or evaluation.
A) Consensus
B) Social facilitation
C) Deferred Judgment
D) Social loafing
Q:
The distributional error that occurs when the reviewer rates everyone near the top of a rating scale is known as _____.
A. contrast error
B. strictness
C. halo error
D. horns error
E. leniency
Q:
One of the main principles of brainstorming is _____.
A) egocentrism
B) social loafing
C) deferred judgment
D) social facilitation
Q:
Which rater error makes it difficult to distinguish among employees rated by the same rater because the rater tends to use only one part of the rating scale?
A. Contrast error
B. Distributional error
C. Halo error
D. Error based on similarity
E. Horns error
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a recommended practice for participants in a brainstorming session?
A) Generating as many ideas as possible.
B) Being creative, freewheeling, and imaginative.
C) Criticizing others ideas.
D) Building upon, extending, or combining earlier ideas.
Q:
Which of the following errors occur when a rater compares an individual, not against an objective standard, but against other employees?
A. Contrast errors
B. Distributional errors
C. Halo errors
D. Leniency errors
E. Horns errors
Q:
Which of the following is a task role?
A) Checking for consensus
B) Supporting the contributions of members
C) Facilitating participation of all members
D) Evaluating the groups effectiveness
Q:
Which of the following steps should be taken to protect employees when they provide evaluations of managers' performance?
A. The process should be anonymous.
B. The process should use only two employees to rate each manager.
C. The process should encourage employees to highlight the negative aspects of the manager's performance.
D. The evaluations should be used primarily for administrative decisions.
E. The process should require that subordinates identify themselves.
Q:
A task leader can help a group accomplish its objectives and stay on target during a meeting by doing all of the following EXCEPT:
A) stating the problem.
B) checking for agreement.
C) pushing too hard for a decision.
D) periodically summarizing the progress being made.
Q:
Subordinate evaluations of performance are most appropriate when the performance results are to be used for:
A. administrative purposes.
B. investigative purposes.
C. strategic purposes.
D. developmental purposes.
E. executive purposes.
Q:
The official task of a group is known as the _____.
A) social norm
B) hidden agenda
C) surface agenda
D) group consensus
Q:
Which of the following statements is true about the factors of effective committees?
A) When selecting members of the committees, leaders merely need to consider the members interest level.
B) The primary role of the task leader is to sense the mood of the group and help members become aware of it.
C) Leaders of committees lack the power and opportunity to select committee members.
D) A group of five members is often preferred for typical situations.
Q:
Which of the following is true of peers as a source of performance information?
A. Peers are poor sources of information about performance in a job.
B. Peer ratings, according to research, are not influenced much by friendships.
C. Peers evaluations generally lack validity.
D. Peers are less willing participants in reviews to be used for employee development.
E. Peers are comfortable with rating employees for decisions that may affect themselves.
Q:
A _____ is a specific type of group in which members who have been delegated the authority to handle the problem at hand meet one or more times to address and resolve it.
A) committee
B) sect
C) social network
D) nominal group
Q:
What is the disadvantage of peers as a source of performance information?
A. Peers do not have expert knowledge of job requirements.
B. Peers are uncomfortable with rating employees for decisions that may affect themselves.
C. Assessments of performance by peers generally lack validity.
D. Peers are generally less favorable toward participating in reviews to be used for employee development.
E. Peers are poor sources of performance information in any job.
Q:
In the context of influencing informal organizations, which of the following is a valid management guideline for action?
A) Ignore the effects on informal systems when taking any kind of action.
B) Keep formal activities from unnecessarily threatening informal organizations.
C) Avoid integrating the interests of informal groups with those of the formal organization.
D) Ensure that the informal organization is strong enough to dominate.
Q:
The performance measurement system that combines information from most or all of the possible sources, is known as:
A. the critical incidents technique.
B. the behavioral observation scale.
C. management by objectives.
D. a 360-degree performance appraisal.
E. upward feedback.
Q:
Determining patterns of behaviors in informal systems can be done by:
A) observing interactions personally.
B) collecting data on communication patterns.
C) directly asking individuals involved.
D) all of the above.
Q:
How does total quality management (TQM) obtain objective feedback?
A. From the methods that use charts to detail causes of problems, measures of performance, or relationships between work-related variables.
B. From the methods that rate behaviors in terms of a scale showing specific statements of behavior that describe different levels of performance.
C. From the methods that use several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait.
D. From the method that lists traits and provides feedback for each trait.
E. From managers, peers, and customers about the employee's personal qualities.
Q:
Total quality management differs from traditional performance measurement in that it:
A. has an external, rather than an internal, focus.
B. is a top-down review process.
C. assesses both individual performance and the system within which the individual works.
D. focuses exclusively on support decisions about work assignments, training, and compensation.
E. provides only subjective feedback based on the work process.
Q:
_____ are informal organization charts that usually focus on either interpersonal feelings expressed among individuals or actual behaviors exhibited.
A) Network charts
B) Gantt charts
C) Matrices
D) Scatter plots
Q:
What is the disadvantage of results-oriented performance management?
A. It is generally more subjective than other kinds of performance measurements.
B. It has low acceptability among employees.
C. It has problems with validity.
D. It is not preferred by managers.
E. It is not easy to link to the organization's goals.
Q:
Which of the following is a way to increase cohesiveness?
A) Selecting members with completely different attitudes, backgrounds, and values
B) Providing opportunities for frequent interactions among members
C) Eliminating competitions against other groups
D) Ignoring major threats or common enemies of the group
Q:
What is the advantage of results-oriented performance measurement?
A. They are very effective in providing guidance on how to improve.
B. They are relatively easy to link to the organization's goals.
C. They are generally more subjective than other kinds of performance measurement.
D. They are highly acceptable to employees, but not to managers.
E. They tend to be highly valid.
Q:
Cohesiveness is indicated by all of the following EXCEPT:
A) how strongly the employees stick together.
B) how much the employees rely on each other.
C) individual desire to remain a member of the group.
D) how the organizational goals influence the employees personal goals.
Q:
Which of the following is true of management by objectives (MBO)?
A. Goals are generally nonspecific.
B. Goals are typically subjective.
C. Goals are easy to achieve.
D. Feedback is given only during the appraisal period.
E. Managers and their employees work together to set the goals.
Q:
Which of the following is a potential benefit of an informal organization?
A) It implements organizational changes without resistance.
B) It completely discourages negative attitudes.
C) It avoids interpersonal and intergroup conflicts.
D) It provides a safety valve for employee emotions.
Q:
Which of the following is true of 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.
Q:
Which of the following statements is true of employees willing to be informal leaders?
A) Some employees feel that informal leadership is a form of job enrichment and adds variety.
B) Many employees find informal leadership as a means of fulfilling security needs.
C) Employees who become informal leaders make the best formal managers.
D) Employees who are introverts prefer informal leadership as it seldom requires them to socialize.
Q:
What is the difference between a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) and a behavioral observation scale (BOS)?
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 examples to define all behaviors necessary for effective performance.
D. Managers and employees prefer BARS compared to BOS for ease of use and maintaining objectivity.
E. A major drawback of BARS is the amount of information required as compared to BOS.
Q:
An informal leader:
A) normally emerges from outside the informal group.
B) often engages in behaviors that sustain the groups cohesiveness.
C) has limited power and does not work on complex tasks.
D) makes the best formal manager.
Q:
The performance management method that requires managers to rate the frequency with which an employee has exhibited a behavior during a rating period is the:
A. behaviorally anchored rating scale.
B. behavioral observation scale.
C. graphic rating scale.
D. mixed-standard scale.
E. forced-distribution scale.
Q:
In an informal organization, workers may embrace a set of _____ different from those the organization expects of them.
A) attitudes
B) beliefs
C) sentiments
D) all of the above
Q:
_____ use several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait.
A. Behaviorally anchored rating scales
B. Mixed-standard scales
C. Behavioral observation scales
D. Graphic rating scales
E. Forced distribution scales
Q:
Which of the following statements is true about power in an informal organization?
A) It is delegated by managers.
B) It strictly follows the official chain of command.
C) It is likely to come from superiors in the formal hierarchy than from peers.
D) It is usually more unstable than formal authority.
Q:
The method of performance measurement that uses several statements describing each trait to produce a final score for that trait is known as the _____.
A. behaviorally anchored rating scale
B. mixed-standard scale
C. behavioral observation scale
D. graphic rating scale
E. forced distribution scale
Q:
Informal power attaches to a(n) _____.
A) institution
B) position
C) person
D) all of the above
Q:
If a manager considers one employee at a time and circles a number/word to signify the degree to which that employee demonstrates a particular trait, he/she is using a:
A. mixed-standard scale.
B. critical-incident approach.
C. graphic rating scale.
D. behavioral observation scale.
E. behaviorally anchored rating scale.
Q:
Informal groups generally emerge at work on the basis of all of the following EXCEPT:
A) common interests.
B) organizational goals.
C) proximity.
D) friendships.
Q:
Which of the following is the most widely used method for rating attributes?
A. Behaviorally anchored rating scales
B. Mixed-standard scales
C. Behavioral observation scales
D. Graphic rating scales
E. Critical-incident methods
Q:
Devils advocates are guardians of clear and moral thinking and can help the group immeasurably by providing it with a stream of constructive criticism.
Q:
Which of the following is a disadvantage of ranking using paired-comparison method for performance measurement?
A. It does not provide a scope for interpretation.
B. It is time consuming.
C. It leads to controversy.
D. It does not support decisions about how to distribute pay raises.
E. It tends to evaluate behavior more strictly than other methods.
Q:
When quick, decisive action is necessary, an individual approach is more effective than a group.
Q:
The _____ method of performance measurement compares each employee with each other employee to establish rankings.
A. paired-comparison
B. graphic rating scale
C. forced-distribution
D. mixed standard
E. BARS
Q:
Some face-to-face decision-making groups converge too quickly on one alternative while overlooking others.
Q:
The paired-comparison method of measuring employee performance:
A. involves comparing each employee with each other employee to establish rankings.
B. is also known as the alternation ranking method.
C. rates everyone favorably or near the center of the scale.
D. assigns a certain percentage of employees to each category in a set of categories.
E. requires managers to rank employees in their group from the highest performer to the poorest performer.
Q:
Electronic brainstorming is a more convenient process, but it generates fewer ideas than the traditional brainstorming process.
Q:
Which of the following is true about the paired-comparison method of measuring employee performance?
A. It is time consuming if a group has more than a handful of employees.
B. It is also known as the alternation ranking method.
C. It rates everyone favorably or near the center of the scale.
D. It assigns a certain percentage of employees to each category in a set of categories.
E. It requires managers to rank employees in their group from the highest performer to the poorest performer.
Q:
The purpose of deferred judgment is to separate idea evaluation from idea censorship.
Q:
Identify the evaluation approach to performance measurement that meets the following criteria: very high fit with strategy, usually high validity, high reliability, high acceptability, and high specificity regarding results but low specificity regarding behaviors necessary to achieve them.
A. Comparative
B. Attribute
C. Behavioral
D. Results
E. Developmental
Q:
The effectiveness of a meeting can be enhanced by balancing serious discussions with a bit of lighthearted fun.
Q:
Identify the approach to performance measurement that meets the following criteria: high strategic congruence, usually high validity, usually high reliability, moderate acceptability, and very high specificity.
A. Comparative
B. Attribute
C. Behavioral
D. Results
E. Quality
Q:
Identify the approach to performance measurement that meets the following criteria: usually low fit with strategy, usually low validity, usually low reliability, high acceptability, and very low specificity.
A. Comparative
B. Attribute
C. Behavioral
D. Results
E. Quality