Choosing a Performance Management Scale

Choosing an effective Performance Management Scale is a vital cog in designing and operationalizing an effective Customer Experience Management (CEM) solution. The scale provides the means by which employee performance is measured, managed and improved over time.

For a scale to be effective, it needs to satisfy each of the 3 I’s – Involvement, Inspiration and Improvement. Each of these areas must be considered in the context of company culture.


Involvement covers the extent to which a scale is simple enough to resonate with employees to secure buy-in at the operational level and ease of translation and normalisation at the brand-level.


Inspiration suggests that the scale should be both comprehensible and achievable, so employees whose performance is managed by it can understand what actions they can take to improve the customer experience.

Improvement indicates the scale needs to be capable of recognising performance and improvement. No one scaling option is necessarily better than another at capturing this – an organisation’s decision here depends on a multitude of factors including industry sector, touchpoint and overall CEM objectives.

Common approaches in Performances Management Scaling fall into a general trade-off between seeking excellence and moving the needle.


By using a top-box methodology, companies are looking to reward and recognise outstanding performance and using these examples to motivate and coach others. Top-box companies tend to have high base-line scores and are looking to drive from good to great – hence seeking excellence.

More commonly, average and net scores look to provide more representation ensuring that all employee performance is considered and score improvements at a lower-level can be recognised – hence moving the needle.

By taking our clients requirements on a case-by-case basis to ensure their Performance Management Scale meets the 3 I’s and resonates with their circumstances and culture, we drive cutting edge CEM solutions that don’t just measure performance – but improve it.

Andrew Robson

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