Understanding Halo Effect in Performance Appraisals

Question:

Mason, the director of engineering at Frost Inc., was very impressed with the work of Blake, who did not miss a single day of work in the past year. Mason rated Blake very high on all dimensions of performance, disregarding the fact that Blake’s performance in some areas was actually mediocre. This error in the performance appraisal process is known as which of these?

A) Leniency error

B) Halo effect

C) Being high in Machiavellianism

D) A high self-monitor

(Note: Removed nonsensical formatting and provided clearer context to make the question coherent.)

Answer:

B) Halo effect

Explanation: The halo effect occurs when an individual’s overall impression of someone influences their ratings on specific attributes. In this case, Mason’s overall positive view of Blake, due to his perfect attendance, led him to rate Blake highly across all performance dimensions, despite some areas being mediocre.

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