What is Calibration in Appraisals? Meaning and Example

How a calibration session works

Before the meeting, each manager submits proposed ratings with a short justification for each person. HR prepares a view of the ratings by manager and department and, where one is used, the target distribution. In the session, a facilitator takes each rating band in turn. Managers explain why their people belong there, and peers challenge ratings that look out of line: 'Your top-rated analyst missed two month-end deadlines; mine hit every one and is rated 3.' Ratings are adjusted until the group agrees, and HR records each change with its reason.

Calibration vs normalization vs bell curve

These words are used loosely, but they mean different things. The bell curve is a target shape for ratings. Normalization is the result: ratings adjusted so they can be compared across managers. Calibration is the discussion that gets you there, using evidence rather than arithmetic. A company can calibrate without any forced curve, because a well-run discussion corrects lenient and strict raters without pushing good people down to fill a quota.

Running calibration well

Calibration also trains managers. Hearing peers explain in the meeting what a 4 looks like in their teams sharpens each manager's sense of the standard, and next year's first ratings need fewer changes as a result.

• Send a short evidence note for each proposed rating in advance
• Keep groups to eight to ten managers who know each other's teams
• Start with the top and bottom bands, where disagreements matter most
• Watch for recency bias, similarity to the manager and head-office visibility
• Record every change with its reason and who agreed it
• Keep the discussion confidential so individual ratings do not leak

Frequently asked questions