Job Analysis & Performance Assessment

Question 1

Job Analysis

Match the descriptions below with the correct term:
Terms: job analysis, job evaluation, competency modeling, or needs analysis

1. focuses on core abilities linked to organizational values, goals, and strategies
2. conducted to identify training needs
3. systematic procedure conducted to identify the tasks and skills a job requires
4. conducted to determine appropriate compensation for a job

Answer 1

1. competency modeling
2. needs analysis
3. job analysis
4. job evaluation

Question 2

Job Analysis & Performance Assessment

this is a systematic procedure for identifying how a job is performed, the conditions under which it is performed, and the personal requirements it takes to perform the job

Answer 2

job analysis

Question 3

Job Analysis

list the 4 functions a job analysis serves in organizations

Answer 3

obtaining info needed:
1) to write job descriptions
2) develop or identify appropriate job performance & selection measures
3) determine training needs
4) decisions about designing/redesigning jobs

Question 4

Job Analysis

list 4 methods of obtaining information during a job analysis

Answer 4

1) observing employees performing the job
2) interviewing employees & supervisors about the job
3) having employees, supervisors, & others familiar with the job complete surveys & questionnaires
4) using electronic performance monitoring (EPM)

Question 5

Job Analysis

this technique is always worker-oriented and focuses on the core competencies (attributes) required to successfully perform all jobs or a subset of jobs within an organization and linked to the organizations values, goals, & strategies

Answer 5

competency modeling

Question 6

Job Analysis

“exhibiting the highest level of professional integrity at all times” and “staying current with the latest technological advances” are examples of what?

Answer 6

core competencies

Question 7

Job Analysis

list 3 functions of competency modeling

Answer 7

1) identifying appropriate job selection & performance measures
2) determining the content of training programs
3) identifying future job requirements

Question 8

Job Analysis

this is conducted specifically to facilitate decisions related to compensation and is usually part of a job analysis

Answer 8

job evaluation

Question 9

Job Analysis

the principle that workers performing jobs that require the same skills & responsibilities or that are of comparable value to the employer should be paid the same

Answer 9

comparable worth

Question 10

Job Evaluation

a term that has most often been applied to the gender gap in wages

Answer 10

comparable worth

Question 11

Job Analysis

this is a commonly used method for job evaluation and involves determining the monetary value of a job by assigning points to the job’s “compensable factors,” summing the points to derive a total score, and using the total score to determine the appropriate compensation for the job

Answer 11

the point system

Question 12

Job Analysis

list 4 examples of “compensable factors”

Answer 12

1) effort
2) skill
3) responsibility
4) working conditions

Question 13

Job Analysis

A criticism of using job evaluation to establish comparable worth for jobs that have traditionally been held by men or women is that:
A. it’s difficult to quantify job outcomes for different jobs.
B. it’s difficult to apply job evaluation techniques to complex jobs.
C. the job evaluation techniques may be gender-biased.
D. men and women are often uninterested in pursuing jobs that have been traditionally held by members of the opposite gender.

Answer 13

C. the job evaluation techniques may be gender-biased.

Question 14

Job Analysis

criterion measures are also referred to as…

Answer 14

measures of job performance

Question 15

Job Analysis

these types of measures serve several functions in organizations, including providing employees with feedback about their performance and evaluating employee performance to obtain information needed to make decisions about raises, promotions, etc.

Answer 15

criterion measures

Question 16

Job Analysis

this type of performance appraisal measure usually provides quantitative information and includes direct measures of productivity and number of errors, accidents, & absences

Answer 16

objective measures

Question 17

Job Analysis

list 3 criticisms of objective performance appraisal measures

Answer 17

1) not available for certain jobs
2) don’t always provide complete information about employee performance
3) can be affected by situational factors, such as inadequate resources or support

Question 18

Job Analysis

this type of performance appraisal measure takes the form of performance ratings and are the most commonly used performance measures in organizations

Answer 18

subjective measures

Question 19

Job Analysis

list 3 advantages of subjective performance measures

Answer 19

1) provide information on aspects of performance that cannot be assessed with an objective measure
2) allow raters to take into account situational factors that affect performance
3) provide information that’s useful for giving employees feedback about their performance

Question 20

Job Analysis

list a major disadvantage of subjective measures of performance

Answer 20

can be affected by rater biases & errors

Question 21

Job Analysis

these types of subjective rating scales require the rater to evaluate an employee by compairing the employee to other employees

Answer 21

relative rating scales

Question 22

Job Analysis

this type of subjective rating scale requires the rater to evaluate an employee without considering the performance of other employees

Answer 22

abslolute rating scales

Question 23

Job Analysis

when using this relative rating scale, the rater compares each employee to all other employees in pairs on each dimension of job performance (e.g., work quality, job knowledge, communication) by indicating which is employee is best

Answer 23

paired comparison technique

Question 24

Job Analysis

name 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of the paired comparison technique

Answer 24

advantage: alleviates central tendency, leniency, & strictness rater bias

disadvantage: can be very time-consuming to use when there are many employees to rate

Question 25

# **Job Analysis** this relative rating scale requires the rater to **assign a certain percent** to employees to prespecified performance categories for each dimension of job performance

Answer 25

forced distribution method

Question 26

# **Job Analysis** a rater using this relative rating scale might require that 10% of employees be assigned to the poor performance category, 20% to the below average performance category, 40% to the average performance category, 20% to the above average performance category, and 10% to the excellent performance category

Answer 26

forced distribution method

Question 27

# **Job Analysis** list 1 advantage & 1 disadvantage of the forced distribution method

Answer 27

**advantage:** alleviates central tendency, leniency, & strictness rater biases **disadvantage:** **provides inaccurate information** when the performance of employees does not match the specified categories (e.g., when all employees are performing at the average or above average level)

Question 28

# **Job Analysis** this type of absolute rating scale is a method of both job analysis & performance assessment and involves 1) identifying employee behaviors that are associated with **exceptionally poor and exceptionally good performance** by observing employees while they work or by interviewing people familiar with the job and 2) using this list to evaluate performance by **checking those that apply to each employee**

Answer 28

critical incident technique (CIT)

Question 29

# **Job Analysis** list an advantage of the critical incident technique

Answer 29

provides **useful information for employee feedback** because it **focuses on observable behaviors**

Question 30

# **Job Analysis** list 3 disadvantages of the critical incident technique

Answer 30

1) can be **time-consuming** to develop 2) focuses on **extreme behaviors** (rather than typical) 3) it's **job specific** (which means that new critical incidents must be identified for different jobs)

Question 31

# **Job Analysis** when using **this type of absolute rating scale**, the rater rates an employee's performance on several performance dimensions on a Likert-type rating scale (e.g., from 1 = poor performance to 5 = excellent performance)

Answer 31

graphic rating scale

Question 32

# **Job Analysis** list 1 advantage & 1 disadvantage of the graphic rating scale

Answer 32

**advantage:** easy to construct **disadvantage:** vulnerable to rater biases

Question 33

# **Job Analysis** these are type of graphic rating scale in which each point on a scale is "anchored" with a description of a specific behavior

Answer 33

behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)

Question 34

# **Job Analysis** the distinguishing characteristic of this type of graphic rating scale is that development involves having job incumbents, supervisors, & other subject matter experts identify essential dimensions of job performance & specific behaviors for each dimension that are associated with good, average, & poor performance

Answer 34

BARS

Question 35

# **Job Analysis** list 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of BARS

Answer 35

**advantages:** behavioral anchors help **reduce rater biases** & provide information that's **useful for employee feedback** **disadvantages:** time-consuming to develop & job-specific

Question 36

# **Job Analysis** this type of criterion is an ideal measure that assesses all of the important contributors to job performance

Answer 36

**ultimate** criterion

Question 37

# **Job Analysis** this criterion is what a job performance measure actually measures

Answer 37

**actual** criterion

Question 38

# **Job Analysis** this term refers to aspects of performance that are not assessed by the criterion (*e.g., job knowledge test for clinical psychologists that includes questions on psychopathology & clinical psychology but not ethics*)

Answer 38

criterion deficiency

Question 39

# **Job Analysis** this occur when the criterion measure is affected by factors unrelated to job performance (e.g., when a supervisor's ratings of employees on the criterion are affected by an employee's gender or race or **by the supervisor's knowledge of how well the employee did on the predictors that were used to hire them**)

Answer 39

criterion contamination

Question 40

# **Job Analysis** list the 4 different types of rater biases

Answer 40

1) distribution errors 2) the halo error 3) the contrast error 4) the similarity bias

Question 41

# **Job Analysis** this type of error occurs when raters consistently use only one part of the rating scale when rating all employees and includes **the central tendency bias** and **the leniency and strictness biases**

Answer 41

distrbution errors

Question 42

# **Job Analysis** this bias is a type of distribution error that occurs when the rater **consistently gives all employees average rating regardless of their actual performance**

Answer 42

central tendency bias

Question 43

# **Job Analysis** these 2 biases are a type of distribution error that occurs when the rater consistently **gives all employees high ratings or low ratings, respectively, regardless of their actual performance**

Answer 43

leniency & strictness biases

Question 44

# **Job Analysis** this type of rater error occurs when a rater's rating of an employee on one dimension of job performance affects how the rater rates the employee on all other dimensions , even when they're unrelated to that dimension and can be positive or negative

Answer 44

halo error ## Footnote **aka halo effect or halo bias**

Question 45

# **Job Analysis** a supervisor who high values cooperation and rates employees who are very cooperative high on all dimensions of job performance describes what type of error? when the supervisor rates employees who are uncooperative low on all dimensions of performance describes what type of error?

Answer 45

* positive halo error * negative halo error

Question 46

# **Job Analysis** this type of rater error occurs when a rater's ratings of an employee are affected by the performance of a previously evaluated employee (e.g., a supervisor gives an average employee below average ratings because she rated an excellent employee immediately before rating the average employee)

Answer 46

contrast error

Question 47

# **Job Analysis** this type of bias occurs when raters give higher rating to ratees they perceive to be similar to themselves

Answer 47

similarity bias

Question 48

# **Job Analysis** list 3 methods for reducing rater biases

Answer 48

1) using **relative rating scales** 2) **anchoring points** on an absolute rating sclae with **descriptions** of specific job behaviors 3) providing raters with **adequate training**

Question 49

# **Job Analysis** using relative (rather than absolute) rating scales is most useful for eliminating distribution errors (central tendency, leniency, & strictness biases) since relative scales require...

Answer 49

raters **giving some employees higher or lower ratings** than they give to other employees

Question 50

# **Job Analysis** anchoring points on an absolute rating scale with descriptions of specific job behaviors helps reduce distribution errors and other biases by...

Answer 50

clarifying the meaning of each point on the scale

Question 51

# **Job Analysis** this method is the **best way to reduce rater biases** as well as other factors that decrease rater accuracy on relative & absolute rating scales

Answer 51

providing adequate rater training

Question 52

# **Job Analysis** research has found that focusing only on rater biases during training can reduce...

Answer 52

overall accuracy

Question 53

# **Job Analysis** this type of training includes ensuring that trainees understand 1) the multidimensional nature of job performance and 2) the organizations definition of successful & unsuccessfull performance and gives trainees **opportunities to practice assigning ratings & recieve feedback about their rating accuracy**

Answer 53

frame-of-reference (FOR) training

Question 54

# **Job Analysis** When using behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) to evaluate job performance: A. employees are ranked according to their level of performance on multiple dimensions of job performance. B. employees are compared to each other in terms of quantifiable job-related behaviors. C. each employee is rated using a weighted checklist. D. each employee is rated using critical incidents that represent below average, average, and above average performance.

Answer 54

D. each employee is rated using critical incidents that represent below average, average, and above average performance.

Question 55

# **Job Evaluation** these are **rating scales** in which each point on the scale is anchored with a description of a **specific behavior** with the behaviors representing **levels of performance** that range from very ineffective to very effective | may or may not include critical incidents

Answer 55

behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS)

Question 56

# **Job Evaluation** this technique refers to evaluating employees in terms of job behaviors that represent either very unsuccessful or very successful performance

Answer 56

critical incident technique

Question 57

# **Job Evaluation** description of the general use of "critical incidents" | **not assoc. to the critical incident technique**

Answer 57

**specific job behaviors** that are not limited to those associated with very successful or very unsuccessful performance (the *critical incidents technique*)

Question 58

# **Employee Selection** earlier research suggested that which type of interview, behavioral or situational, has a higher level of validity

Answer 58

behavioral