Organizational Psychology - Section 1: Selection Vi: Performance Appraisals (Professor Dr. Gibson)

Front 1

What is a Performance Appraisal?

Back 1

"Performance appraisals are the systematic review and evaluation of employees’ job performance and the delivery of performance feedback." - pg. 31

Front 2

What is Performance Management?

Back 2

"The regulation and shaping of employee behaviour via goal setting, feedback,performance appraisals and developmental planning. They are used in making personnel decisions such as promotions and terminations. They assist in identifying employees’ strengths and weaknesses" - pg. 31

Front 3

What are some issues with poorly designed Performance Appraisals?

Back 3

"Poorly designed and implement PA scan lead to [...] people being wrongly promoted or fired. Employees can feel unfairly treated, which can lower moral and impair motivation. Poorly conducted PAs can erode employee commitment, or even trigger counterproductive behaviours, grievances or lawsuits, all of which are time consuming, costly, and divisive for everyone involved.

Front 4

What is a Graphic Rating Scale?

Back 4

"A graphic image is used to symbolically represent the behaviours and/or attitudes one is interested in." - pg. 31

Example: "a series of happy, neutral and sad faces to discriminate the degree of satisfaction the responder is feeling towards his or her job, his or her family life balance,co-workers, supervisors, company, and so on." -pg. 31-32

Front 5

What is Behavioural Observation?

Back 5

"A data collection method that is better designed for managers, supervisors and owners [...] however, important for you to acknowledge that your presence and explicit observation will change the work dynamic (e.g., the Hawthorne Effect)." - pg. 32

Front 6

What is a Computerized Adaptive Rating Scale?

Back 6

An adapting questionnaire where the "questions are tailored to the responses, so that the responder’s responses guide the direction the questionnaire takes, that is, the question that appears next is determined by how the last question was answered." - pg. 32

Front 7

What is a Checklist?

Back 7

A method of performance appraisal where employees and/or supervisors can check "the appropriate boxes when specific tasks are completed. This can be computerized or recorded with a paper and pencil." - pg. 32

Front 8

What is a Comparison?

Back 8

Comparing the checklist of two employees so that "one can quickly compare employees’ productivity and supervisor and employee consistency." - pg. 32

Front 9

What is the Halo Error?

Back 9

The Halo Error is "a rater’s tendency to use global evaluations when making specific ratings."

Example: "A supervisor’s negative view of the employee distorts the evaluation of tardiness, that is, a few instances of being late are deemed unacceptable." - pg. 33

Front 10

What is the Leniency Bias?

Back 10

Leniency Bias is a distortion in performance appraisals where a manager or interviewer rates an employee or the candidate too positively, causing a performance appraisal/interview bias.

Front 11

What is Impression Management?

Back 11

Impression Management is when the lenient rater is attempting to impress the person being rated when it is assumed that the person being rated may learn about the ratings. - pg. 33

Front 12

What are Intentional Distortions?

Back 12

Intentional Distortions are distortions that "the rater is consciously aware of he or she is doing." - pg. 34

Front 13

What are Unintentional Biases?

Back 13

Unintentional Biases are distortions that "the rater is not consciously aware of what he or she is doing." - pg. 34

Front 14

What is Machiavellianism?

Back 14

Machiavellianism is "intentionally manipulating others for one’s own gain." - pg. 34

Front 15

What is the Central Tendency?

Back 15

When a rater uses only "the midpoint of any scale.This may be done because the rater does not know the person being rated, and so has not formed an opinion one-way or the other. It can also be a sign of laziness" [...] or to "avoid repercussions of any sort, so does not discriminate between employees. - pg. 34

Front 16

What is the Strictness Error/Severity Bias?

Back 16

When a rater is "severe, or overly harsh. Such a rater tends to characterize all behaviour as more negative than other raters, or in comparison to the standardized averages." - pg. 34

Front 17

What is Elevation?

Back 17

"Distribution that has a ceiling effect, where all the scores are at the top of the range." Usually caused by the Leniency Bias. - pg. 34

Front 18

What is Reaction Criteria?

Back 18

"Reactions are any and all responses from any and all participants involved in the performance appraisal." - pg. 36

Front 19

What are Affective Responses?

Back 19

Affective Responses "are degrees of positivity or negativity." - pg. 36

Front 20

What are Perceptions of Justice?

Back 20

Perceptions of Justice "are degrees of just or unjust." - pg. 36

Front 21

What is a Feedback Sandwich?

Back 21

The positives are the bread and the negative or criticism is what goes between the positives. - pg. 36

Front 22

What is Organizational Politics?

Back 22

Organizational Politics is "the concept is that represents all aspects of human interactions in relation to control, power and influence."

It was found that "when our basic psychological needs are met (e.g., our need to be able to relate with others, our need to feel like we are accomplishing something, and our need to contribute in our own way),organizational politics does not impair our work performance." - pg. 37

Front 23

What is Trust?

Back 23

Trust "is knowing that another will protect one’s best interests when the other is seeking his or her own interest." - pg. 37

Front 24

What is Non-Violent Communication?

Back 24

"Non-violent communication is me telling you what I need in a way that does not violate your basic needs and you telling me what you need without you violating my basic needs." - pg. 37-38

Front 25

What is Multi-Source Feedback?

Back 25

"A multi-source or 360-degree appraisal process is the use of ratings by subordinates, peers, supervisors, clients and self." - pg. 38

Front 26

What is Participation?

Back 26

"Input from everyone, everyone is involved, which can help with perceptions of achievement and support." - pg. 38