Performance Management & Accountability Flashcards

A team leader uses positive reinforcement consistently. Which outcome is MOST likely over time?

Answer: Desired behaviors increase in frequency as employees associate them with positive outcomes

Consistent positive reinforcement strengthens desired behaviors by creating a positive association between the behavior and its consequence.

Which situation BEST represents a conflict of interest in performance evaluation?

Answer: A manager evaluates a close personal friend who reports directly to them

Evaluating a close personal friend creates a conflict of interest because personal relationships can bias professional assessments.

What is the main risk of setting performance goals that are too easy for all team members?

Answer: Performance standards lose their meaning and fail to drive improvement or growth

Goals that are too easy fail to stretch capability, reduce motivation, and provide no useful information about actual performance potential.

A team leader notices two employees performing very similarly but has historically rated one much higher. This MOST likely indicates:

Answer: A potential bias in the evaluation process that should be examined

Similar performance yielding very different ratings is a signal of potential evaluator bias that should be reviewed for fairness.

Which of the following is the BEST example of holding a team collectively accountable?

Answer: Tying a shared team reward to the achievement of a jointly owned project milestone

Shared rewards linked to collective outcomes create interdependence and mutual accountability among team members.

A team leader provides feedback only when something goes wrong. This approach is MOST likely to result in:

Answer: Employees associating feedback with negative events, reducing openness to coaching

Feedback given exclusively in negative situations conditions employees to dread feedback conversations rather than welcome developmental input.

When is it MOST appropriate to move from informal coaching to a formal performance management process?

Answer: When informal coaching has not produced the required improvement over a reasonable period

Formal processes are appropriate when informal efforts have been given a fair opportunity but have not resulted in sustained improvement.