Goals
In a SMART goal, what does the S stand for?
Specific. The goal clearly states what the employee should accomplish.
Which collects evidence over time: monitoring or evaluation?
Monitoring. Evaluation compares the evidence with agreed expectations.
Useful feedback should describe a specific behavior or attack the employee's personality?
A specific behavior. It should explain what happened and what the employee can do next.
An employee feels proud after mastering a difficult task. Is this an intrinsic or extrinsic reward?
Intrinsic. The satisfaction comes from doing the work itself.
A manager praises accurate orders, and accurate work increases. Which consequence is this?
Positive reinforcement. Adding praise increases the desired behavior.
A manager says, "Improve accuracy." Name two details that would make this goal clearer.
A measurable target and a deadline. For example: reduce incorrect orders to 2% or less within four weeks.
A supervisor gives high ratings in every area because an employee is friendly. Which rating error is this?
The halo effect. One positive trait influences the entire evaluation.
Which feedback is more useful? A: "You are careless." B: "Two orders had the wrong milk today. Repeat each order before making it."
B. It names the problem and gives a specific action for the next shift.
A worker earns a bonus for reaching an agreed target. Is the bonus intrinsic or extrinsic?
Extrinsic. The reward comes from outside the person.
A supervisor stops unwanted reminder messages after an employee consistently arrives on time. On-time arrivals increase. Which consequence is this?
Negative reinforcement. Removing something unpleasant increases the desired behavior.
A barista practices the new ordering system before a busy shift. Is this mainly a learning goal or a performance goal?
A learning goal. It develops a skill needed for later performance.
An annual review focuses almost entirely on a mistake made yesterday. Which rating error is this?
Recency. Recent events overshadow performance from the rest of the review period.
A supervisor demonstrates an ordering technique, lets the employee practice, and follows up. What does this add beyond feedback alone?
Coaching. It adds practice and ongoing support to help the employee improve.
What does pay for performance connect an employee's compensation to?
Performance or results measured against agreed criteria. The measures should protect quality and teamwork.
An employee receives a warning after repeated lateness, and lateness decreases. Which consequence is this?
Punishment. The consequence reduces the unwanted behavior.
Rewrite "Do a better job" as a SMART goal for order accuracy.
One possible answer: By the end of four weeks, reduce incorrect orders to 2% or less. Accept another specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, time-bound goal.
Feedback from supervisors, coworkers, and customers is an example of what approach?
360-degree feedback. Multiple perspectives give a fuller picture of performance.
Why might an employee reject feedback even when the manager intends to help? Name one reason.
The employee may see it as inaccurate, unfair, or not credible. Specific evidence and a respectful discussion can help.
Two employees value different rewards. One wants development opportunities; the other wants flexible scheduling. What should the manager consider?
People value different rewards. The manager should learn which rewards each employee finds meaningful while applying fair criteria.
Coworkers stop giving attention to disruptive jokes, and the jokes gradually decrease. Which consequence is this?
Extinction. A previously reinforcing consequence, attention, is no longer provided.
A cafe sets a goal only for drinks per hour. Orders become faster, but mistakes increase. What should change?
Add an accuracy or service-quality target and monitor it alongside speed. The goal should reflect the results the cafe actually needs.
Barista A makes 40 drinks with 6 incorrect orders. Barista B makes 32 drinks with none incorrect. Why is output alone an incomplete evaluation?
It ignores accuracy. A fair evaluation should consider output and quality, along with relevant conditions such as order complexity and teamwork.
An employee makes two incorrect orders. Give one useful sentence of feedback that includes an action.
Example: "Two orders had the wrong milk today; repeat each order back before making the drink." Accept a specific, respectful response with a clear next step.
In the Wells Fargo case, employees opened unauthorized accounts to meet sales targets and earn incentives. What should a better reward system recognize?
Legitimate customer value and responsible behavior. It should check consent and service quality alongside sales, so employees cannot succeed by inflating the metric.
A worker earns a reward after every fifth qualifying sale. Name the reinforcement schedule.
Fixed ratio. The reward follows a predictable number of responses.