10
RATER ERRORS
RATING ERRORS
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ERROR DEFINITION EXAMPLE
Attractiveness effect
The well-documented
tendency for people to
assume that people who are
physically attractive are also
superior performers.
Samuella rated sales representatives who were tall, trim and
attractive higher than those who were only average in their
appearance, even though there was no significant difference in the
quality of their work.
First Impression error
The tendency to make an
initial positive or negative
judgement of another person
and allow that first
impression to color or distort
later information.
When Rachael took over her department, she noticed one staff
member who was going through a divorce, performing poorly. Within
a month that staff member’s performance had improved to its
previously high level, but Rachael’s opinion of the individual’s
performance remained negative. She did not recognize the
improvement.
Halo/horns effect
Inappropriate generaliza-
tions from one aspect of an
individual’s performance to
all areas of that person’s
performance.
Jeff was excellent in his presentation skills. He received rave
reviews whenever he gave talks or workshops. His supervisor rated
him as F
AR EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS in all areas, even though he did
not communicate effectively with colleagues on the staff, and was
consistently late with the projects he was working on.
Similar-to-me effect
Tendency of individuals to
rate people who resemble
themselves more highly than
they rate others.
As a manager, Brett, was logical, detail-oriented, and prompt to
respond to deadlines. He unwittingly rated several staff members
who also had these qualities higher overall than others whose
strengths included creativity, visioning, and initiating new endeavors,
but who were not always on time with their work.
Central tendency
Inclination to rate people in
the middle of the scale even
when their performance
clearly warrants a sub-
stantially higher or lower
rating.
Because he does not like to compare staff with one another, and is
not comfortable with confrontation, Harold rated all of his staff
members as M
EETS EXPECTATIONS, despite significant differences in
their performance.
Negative and positive
skew
The opposite of central
tendency. The rating of all
individuals as higher or
lower than their performance
actually warrants.
Susan believes that everyone needs some improvement, so she
does not give any ratings higher than M
EETS EXPECTATIONS for even
the highest performers. Al believes that he has hired only
exceptional staff menders, so he gives only ratings of E
XCEEDS OR
FAR EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS.
Attribution bias
Tendency to attribute
performance failings to
factors under the control of
the individual and
performance successes to
external causes.
When a member on Harriet’s staff falls behind in his or her work,
Harriet attributes it to poor organizational skills on the part of the
staff member, even though there may have been an extraordinarily
high workload, or an unexpected emergency that took additional
time. On the other hand, when a staff member stays on top of
things, she feels that it is because of her exceptional leadership
skills.
Recency effect
Tendency for minor events
that have happened more
recently to have more
influence on ratings than
major events of many
months ago.
Conceptión kept no records or notes regarding the quality of her
staff’s work. When it came time for reviews, she relied on examples
from only the previous two months. She had completely forgotten
major accomplishments and consistently effective performance from
earlier in the review period.
Stereotyping
Tendency to generalize
across groups and ignore
individual differences.
Juan is a quiet, reserved person. Yet when he is on the phone with a
pastor or parish minister trying to resolve a problem, he is very
effective in listening and helping to resolve the issue. When he does
offer his opinion in a staff meeting, it is usually quite insightful.
However, because of his reserve, his supervisor rates his
performance lower than that of other consultants who are more
vocal.
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Based on Making Performance Management Work, a workshop by Dick Grote, October 30, 2000. © 2000 Grote Consulting
Corporation, 15303 Dallas Parkway, Suite 645, Addison, Texas 75001-6725. Used with permission.