Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) Practice Exam

Which of the following performance rating errors is an example of a distributional error?

1. Halo

2. Leniency

3. Recency

4. Horn

The correct answer is: Leniency

Distributional errors in performance ratings occur when a rater's tendency influences how they use the rating scale. In the case of leniency, this error manifests when a rater gives consistently high ratings to employees, often leading to inflated performance evaluations. This can distort the true performance levels within a team or organization, as it fails to differentiate effectively between varying levels of employee contributions and capabilities. Leniency affects performance management by making it challenging to identify areas for improvement or recognize top performers accurately. Evaluators who exhibit this bias may do so due to a desire to maintain good relationships with subordinates or to avoid conflict, ultimately undermining the integrity of the performance evaluation process. In contrast, halo and horn errors involve allowing one positive or negative trait to influence the overall rating, while the recency effect pertains to rating based on the most recent events or performances rather than the entire evaluation period. These errors do not specifically reflect a distributional bias, which is at the core of leniency. Thus, leniency is the clearest example of a distributional error in the context of performance ratings.