Displaying Boss Data and Response Distributions
Display Boss Data
Almost every instrument allows you to compare one rater group with another. You can compare the participant with an amorphic group labeled "Others." Displaying data by the "Self" and "Others" categories alone may be fine for self-awareness only, but doing so does not inspire change or act as a catalyst for performance improvement. It may be fine if people within your organization are nervous that the boss's data, for example, will be identified as a separate line item. But this way of presenting data is feedback-light. Merging boss data with that of the general category "Others" is too simple and wimpy. The most effective ways to display the data is by "Self" and each of the other rater groups on the survey (e.g., "Self," "Boss," "Staff," "Peers," "Customers," "Team Members," "Co-Workers," "Support," etc.).
Merging "boss" data with other rater groups is feedback-light.
Display Response Distributions
As I mentioned earlier, response distributions help you identify the number of raters whose responses emphasize strengths to build upon or areas to develop. You can identify bipolar data. You can identify skewed responses. You can identify patterns, trends, and the number of raters who responded at the mid-scale point on an odd-response scale, i.e., those who displayed central tendency. Identifying the response distributions for each rater on each item is valuable. Distributions identify whether a rater has skewed his/her response in relation to other raters in that same rater group. Do the majority of raters in the direct report group see the participant as effective? If so, call the participant effective. If the pattern of responses identifies the participant as ineffective (rationalization aside), the participant is ineffective according to that rater group.
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