Software Engineering

Avoid Central Tendency Bias

If you're ever given a question on a scale of one to five, you're probably going to pick a three or a four-regardless of the subject. This is central tendency bias.
Published on
March 2024

If you're ever given a question on a scale of one to five, you're probably going to pick a three or a four - regardless of the subject.

This is central tendency bias.

People are afraid to give too strong of an opinion for better or for worse. This leads to common mediocre responses. Middle of the pack thinking makes it much more difficult to learn.

It's one thing for people to be neutral on surveys about your favorite streaming service. When it comes to rating your team though, this can be a problem.

We need more choice

Life doesn't happen on a 1-5 scale. How can we be expected to rate ourselves or others this way, especially when the outcome can be so important? Your role, responsibilities, and salary can very well depend on a handful of these questions.

People are complicated. We change over time. We learn, grow, and act differently. Rating people should be a more complicated task. It needs to take variability into account and look at longer time horizons.

At least give more than five options!

Strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and strongly agree are not enough.

Encourage honesty

Employees are afraid to rate themselves outside of the "expected" range. Similarly, they'll rate teammates towards the middle. This is unhelpful.

Managers rely on this information to help employees grow. If responses are always neutral in nature, it's difficult to provide feedback, both positive and negative.

Employees should encouraged to give their open and honest interpretations of performance. Ask for their thoughts many times throughout the year to capture their feelings in the moment. Don't try to sway them from feeling extreme levels of positivity or negativity. Use questions and answers that force more of a range of responses.

Collect this information over time and in the end you'll have the most accurate representation of their feelings. Not only that but you'll have more actionable information to work with.

Prevent bias to encourage growth

In the end, what we're really trying to do is help employees develop. They want to get better at managing. They want to improve their skills. They want to contribute to a positive corporate culture.

You can help them get there by taking a more mindful approach to collecting their thoughts. Use different question types, promote honesty, and do this in an ongoing fashion. In the end, you'll have a happier team.

Weekly newsletter
Join hundreds of HR and team leads—receive our very best resources in your inbox every week.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways WorkStory can help you:

  1. The WorkStory Platform: Our all-in-one performance management solution. WorkStory makes it easy to gather continuous feedback, run 360 reviews, and track team progress—all in one place. Perfect for teams looking to move beyond traditional performance reviews.
  2. The Performance Review Builder Tool: Create customized performance reviews that fit your organization’s unique needs. Tailor the reviews to each role, streamline the review process, and focus on growth-oriented feedback.
  3. Performance Review Templates: Access a library of pre-built, best-in-class performance review templates that are ready to use. Whether you need templates for leadership, team members, or cross-functional roles, we’ve got you covered.
  4. HR Document Templates: From onboarding checklists to change management guides, our HR templates are designed to save time and ensure consistency across your organization. Simply download, customize, and implement.
Latest Posts
Newsletter

How to Hold Managers Accountable for Performance Reviews

The truth is, performance reviews don’t fail because of employees—they fail because managers aren’t being held accountable for their role in the process. Here’s why manager accountability matters and how you can make it a priority in your organization.
Read post
Newsletter

Three Common Performance Review Pitfalls—and How to Avoid Them

As we head into the end-of-year review season, it’s a good time to evaluate how you’re conducting performance reviews. A well-executed review process can inspire and set a clear path for growth. But a few common pitfalls can turn reviews into an ineffective or even dreaded experience for employees.
Read post
Newsletter

5 Signs Your Team Is Quiet Quitting (And How to Fix It)

As a leader, one of the most challenging things to spot is when your team members have mentally checked out but are still physically present. This phenomenon is called quiet quitting—where employees do the bare minimum without showing the engagement they once had.
Read post