Which performance appraisal problem is this manager hoping to avoid?

Personal bias refers to the tendency of an evaluator to let their personal feelings or relationships influence their performance ratings. While this is a common problem in appraisals, the question specifically addresses the avoidance of central tendency error, which focuses on uniformly average ratings rather than biased opinions.

Recency error occurs when an evaluator focuses on an employee's most recent performance instead of their overall performance throughout the appraisal period. This type of error can skew results based on recent events, but it is distinct from central tendency error, which addresses a generalized tendency to rate everyone similarly.

The halo effect is a cognitive bias where an evaluator's overall impression of an employee influences their ratings of specific traits. While this can distort performance appraisals, it differs from central tendency error, which centers around uniformity in ratings rather than specific bias.