Which appraisal issue can occur when a supervisor has a tendency to provide overly positive evaluations?

Leniency bias occurs when a supervisor tends to give overly positive evaluations, resulting in inflated performance ratings for their employees. This can stem from various reasons, such as a desire to maintain a harmonious work environment, fear of conflict, or a personal relationship with the employee being evaluated. When leniency bias is present, it can undermine the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process, as it fails to accurately reflect an employee's true performance level. Consequently, this can lead to issues such as decreased motivation among employees who may feel that their hard work is not being recognized or rewarded appropriately compared to others receiving inflated ratings.

Additionally, leniency bias can adversely affect organizational decision-making processes related to promotions, salary increases, and development needs, as it does not provide a realistic picture of performance dynamics within the team or organization. Addressing this bias requires supervisors to use more standardized evaluation criteria and to strive for objectivity in their assessments.