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Midpoint Progression
Percentage step between adjacent pay-grade midpoints; for a whole structure, the constant geometric progression. Larger progression → fewer grades.
How it’s computed
adjacent: (mid_next - mid) / mid ; structure: (highest_mid / lowest_mid)^(1/(n-1)) - 1
What the evidence shows
Evidence (effect sizes, priors, validity) is syncing from Principia.
What this metric can show you
Midpoint Progression can tell roughly 22 pre-built stories — each a designed scene the data either confirms or it doesn’t. Bring your numbers and the Story Finder runs every one of these shapes against them.
specific to compensation & benefits
A real gradient — now ask if it's pointed at value
compensation · T1
Below the market, across the board
compensation · T1
One group sits apart on a decision that should be neutral
fairness-equity · T1
Pay is drifting from plan
compensation · T1
universal shapes — any single metric can take these
A few large values are doing the talking
any focus · T1
A one-time event, not a trend
any focus · T1
It doesn't track — the premise is false
any focus · T1
It's concentrated — one group stands apart
any focus · T1
Scenes are pre-built; your data is the toggle. Browse the full deck or watch one play end-to-end in The Quiet Exodus.
Run it on your data
This metric is computed in the People Analytics Toolbox on your own numbers. See pricing — posted, no quotes.
sources: toolbox:metrics-catalog
What the literature says
The measurement literature behind this signal — sourced, so you can defend it.
“Range profiles often are used in conjunction with either the compa-ratio or range penetration to describe where employees should expect their pay to fall in relationship to their pay range over time. (See Figure 11.6 .) [image "Chapter_11_image009.gif" file=Image00119.gif]…”
— Worldatwork Handbook Compensationmatch 73%
“Midpoint management techniques can help to control the structure. They use compa ratios, which express the actual rate of pay as a percentage of the midpoint when the latter is regarded as the policy rate of pay or the reference point. The analysis of compa ratios indicates what…”
— The Compensation Handbook (6th ed.)match 60%
“This target represents the destination salary (or going rate) for jobs in a particular grade level. The actual value of the midpoint will depend on the organization’s compensation philosophy (i.e., what to pay within the context of the organization’s goals and the local,…”
— The Compensation Handbook (6th ed.)match 56%
Resources: Worldatwork Handbook Compensation · The Compensation Handbook (6th ed.)