Minimizing Biases in Performance Evaluation at Expert Engineering, Inc.

Under various engineer titles, veteran engineer Demetri worked for Expert Engineering, Inc., for almost $15$ years. The firm$$s

performance evaluation history is both unique and long. He has recently been promoted to the position of Principal at the

engineering firm. All principals are involved in evaluating engineers because the founders of the firm believed in multiple

source evaluation and feedback to prevent favouritism and promote a merit$-$based culture. At the same time, the firm has a

long history of using quality performance appraisal forms and review meetings to better ensure accurate performance

evaluations. Several months ago, however, the firm initiated a big hiring initiative of a dozen new engineers, nine of whom

turned out to be graduates from Purdue University, which is the same university from which Demetri graduated. Indeed,

Demetri was active in moving forward the hiring initiative. There is tension and discontent among the other principals, who

fear that a time of unchecked favouritism, biased performance ratings, and unfair promotion decisions is on the rise.

Herman Aguinis, Performance Management, $3$rd Ed$.$

$2.$ Evaluate the kinds of training programs that could minimize the factors you have described. What do you recommend

and why? $(10$ marks$)$