| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Score | The number that is going to be displayed to an end user. |
| Label | The text that is going to be displayed to an end user. |
| Description | A definition of the scale anchors that have been defined. If the end user selects the question mark icon next to the ratings in a form, the descriptions of the scales display. |
Configuring Rating Scales
Objective
After completing this lesson, you will be able to configure rating scales.
Rating Scale Terminology
Rating Scales
What are Rating Scales?
A rating scale is a tool used during the evaluation process to quantify a reviewer’s perspective on performance. One rating scale must be attached to a performance form as the default in General Settings. However additional scales may be attached to different sections of the form. Only Goal/Objective and Competency sections support rating scales. Although forms may use multiple scales, each section can only use one scale. Attaching a scale to a performance form is discussed in a later unit.
New Rating Scale Creation
You may create a rating scale at any time, and you can create as many rating scales as you need. When the scale has been created, it is set to Active by default. You may always deactivate or delete the scale. Remember to check if you have any forms currently circulating the system that are using a scale before deactivating or deleting.
To create a new scale, click the green plus titled Create New Rating Scale. You may find a default 5-point scale with scores, labels, and descriptions already populated. Select one of the bubbles on the left-hand side of the screen to pre-populate the score or select Build your own to define custom scores.
A best practice when creating rating scales is to hit a middle ground of having enough points to accurately separate the high, average, and low performers, but not too many points where scale anchors (the verbiage defining each numerical point) become synonyms or difficult to differentiate.
If you are looking to make sure ratings do not center on the midpoint of the scale, choose a 4- or 6-point scale that forces a rater to choose between higher or lower performance. A 5-point scale tends to be an ideal middle ground of having enough points to differentiate performance, but not so many that the anchors are synonymous with one another. Choose Save to save the added expected rating.
Another best practice prior to a new performance cycle is to hold rater training with managers and employees. When performance is clearly identified with specific behavioral examples and matched up to each scale point anchor (for example, 5=Substantially Exceeds Expectations; 5=Outstanding in the scales below), raters are more able to identify performance clearly. This could reduce the need for formal calibration.
Create a Rating Scale
Business Example
In this exercise, you create a new rating scale and modify the rating labels.
Steps
Navigate to Rating Scales using Action Search.
Choose Create New Rating Scale (as default, it creates a pre-built 1-5 Rating Scale).
In the Name field, name the rating scale Training [Your Initials].
In the Description field, leave the 1-5 Rating Scale existing description.
Change the label for the 1 score to Extremely Unacceptable.
Change the label for the 5 score to Exceptional.
Choose Save.
Rating Scale Duplication
Scales can be easily duplicated to edit scores and labels without affecting the original. To copy a scale, open the scale you would like to duplicate and choose Save As with a new name and description (optional). When it is copied, you can modify it as needed for the new cycle or process.
Summary
- A rating scale is a tool used during the evaluation process to quantify a reviewer’s perspective on performance. As a default in General Settings, one rating scale must be attached to a performance form; however, additional scales may be attached to different sections of the form.
- You can create rating scales at any time, as many as you need. When a scale is created, it is set to Active by default.
- It is important to consider how many scale points to use when creating a rating scale. A best practice is to hit a middle ground of having enough points to accurately separate the high, average, and low performers, but not too many points where scale anchors are difficult to differentiate. A 5-point scale tends to be ideal for achieving an appropriate middle ground; a pre-built 5-point rating scale with labels and descriptions can be found in Create New Rating Scale.