Decision Making Performance Review

Performance Reviews

1. List and describe 4-6 common problems that occur when managers complete performance reviews.

One common problem that can occur when managers complete performance reviews is selective perceptions, where your perceptions are heavily influenced by what they expect to see (Plous, pg. 15). When a manger reviews and gives a performance evaluation, they may have certain expectations already in mind. If you do not follow to the letter then they feel you are not handling the job the right way. Because you went against the grain, then you could be reviewed as under performing and given a lower evaluation.

Another common problem could be pre decisional dissonance. Maybe your manager does not feel that you are able to perform the job well enough because of your sex (Plous, pg. 26). For example, I work in a call center now taking calls mostly from female callers. I have take calls saying that they did not like the way the previous caller spoke to them because he was a man and did not feel sympathetic toward them. Although the male answered the questions that were asked just the same as a female would have and gave the very same answer, the person calling in was more willing to accept the same answer they received previously because you are a female like they are. The manager may look at it like the male worker just cannot handle the calls properly because of their sex. Your manager may also have post-decisional dissonance (Plous, pg. 28), where because you may be performing the job well, the manager already has made up his or her mind that you are not performing well at all and will not change the way they are perceiving your work.

Hostile media effect (Plous, pg. 20) could be another problem. Your manager may have heard something negative about you from someone else. Instead of checking it out and considering the source, goes ahead and accepts what the other person has said leaving a negative feeling about the way you may be performing your job even though you are following the rules of the office. For example, I worked in a printing company one time and did not get along with my manager at all. I did my job very well but he just did not like me. I quit and went to work somewhere else, I received a call from another employee of the same company wanting me to come and interview with her. She told me after the interview that my old manager told her I was hard to get along with. I explained it to her