Forced Ranking

Meaning & Definition

Forced Ranking

Forced ranking, also known as a vitality curve, is a controversial management tool which measures, ranks and grades employees' work performance based on their comparison with each other instead of against fixed standards. In forced ranking process employees are divided into three into groups: A, B, or C.

A group stands for the employees who are most engaged, motivated, passionate, open to collaboration and committed. They make up the top 20%. B group stands for employees who are not as engaged or motivated but are crucial to the company’s success because they are so abundant. They make up the middle 70%. C group stands for employees who are commonly non-producing procrastinators. They make up the bottom 10%.

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