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Central Tendency Bias
It occurs when in an appraisal, the rater places the majority of the results of those assessed in the center of the agreed rating scale, without having any relation to reality.
If we saw it graphically, we would see that there would only be a few assessed at the extremes of the table, with very high or low scores.
Also, we have definitions of other types of biases: from Similarity, Memory, Confirmation, Escalation of Commitment and Gender.
Central tendency bias can occur when an evaluator avoids using the extremes of a rating scale because they consider very high or very low scores too risky, difficult to justify, or likely to cause conflict. As a result, ratings tend to cluster around the middle values, even when there are genuine differences in the performance of the people being evaluated.
In Human Resources, this bias can make it difficult to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and significant differences between professionals. If most people receive similar scores, it becomes more challenging to distinguish who is exceeding expectations, who needs support, or which competencies should be strengthened.
We give you the keys that can affect your rational judgment so that you can participate in a performance assessment process without falling into possible cognitive biases. You will help your collaborators to develop their talent by providing an objective and constructive vision.
Nowadays, with the available technologies, carrying out performance appraisal processes is very simple. But to carry it out effectively, we must reflect on a series of errors into which we can sometimes fall and we must become aware of them in order to avoid them and make our initiative a success!
