← HR Metrics·Performance & Development
Rating Distribution
Distribution of performance ratings across tiers
How it’s computed
COUNT(employees) GROUP BY rating_tier
What the evidence shows
| Relates to | Effect (r) | N | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voluntary turnover | -0.21 | 111562 | A |
| Job satisfaction | 0.464 | 91361 | A |
| Employee performance | 0.442 | 85055 | B |
| Organizational commitment | 0.386 | 35754 | A |
| Work engagement | 0.343 | 19304 | A |
| Task performance | 0.274 | 28904 | A |
| Organizational citizenship behavior ocb | 0.27 | 50 | B |
What this metric can show you
Rating Distribution can tell roughly 23 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 performance & development
It's two companies, split by manager
leadership-quality · T1
Most are fine — a tail is struggling
engagement · T1
The system isn't differentiating
measurement-health · T1
You've quietly stopped promoting from within
development-mobility · T1
Your ratings are compressing
performance · 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 · principia:metrics
What the literature says
The measurement literature behind this signal — sourced, so you can defend it.
“The forced distribution created a lot of competition because employees knew they were being ranked, so to avoid finding themselves on the chopping block, they’d set out to sabotage other employees any way they could. Not to mention you have to have at least thirty -five to fifty…”
— Pay Mattersmatch 58%
“On the other hand, how does one objectively differentiate performance at each of the five levels? If one is measuring units of production in a factory or words typed per hour, objectively identifying performance at all five levels may be possible. However, in a service-based…”
— Worldatwork Handbook Compensationmatch 57%
“The performance-appraisal rating is written on the sticky-note, and the sticky-note is then put on the appropriate flipchart for that rating. Check to make sure that all the rating categories on the flipcharts correspond with the rating categories written on the sticky-notes.…”
— The Compensation Handbook (6th ed.)match 56%
Resources: Pay Matters · Worldatwork Handbook Compensation · The Compensation Handbook (6th ed.)