Stereotype error. Stereotype error occurs when a supervisor has an oversimplified view of individuals based on group membership. That is, a supervisor may have a belief that certain groups of employees (e.g., women) are unassertive in their communication style. In rating women, therefore, he may automatically describe communication as being “unassertive” without actually having any behavioral evidence to support the rating.13 This type of error can also lead to biased evaluations of performance when an individual (e.g., woman) violates stereotypical norms by working in an occupation that does not fit the stereotype (e.g., assembly of airplane parts).14 This type of error can also result in consistently lower performance ratings for members of certain groups. For example, a study including an identical sample of black and white workers found that white supervisors gave higher ratings to white workers relative to black workers than did black supervisors. In other words, if a white worker is rated, then it does not really matter whether the supervisor is black or white; however, if a black worker is rated, the supervisor’s ethnicity matters because this worker is likely to receive a higher rating from a black supervisor than from a white supervisor.15
Explain Stereo Type Error and the consequences of that error. What training and/or systems would you put in place for the leadership of an organization in order to reduce the impact of that Rater Error on performance management?