Forced ranking

Forced ranking is a performance appraisal or evaluation method that involves ranking employees in a particular workgroup against each other. Also known as 'rank and yank,' 'stack ranking,' or 'forced distribution,' this method is used to identify and differentiate employees who are considered high-performing, average-performing, or low-performing.

The forced ranking process typically involves managers assigning employees to specific categories, usually a predetermined percentage of high, average, and low performers. Managers may use a variety of performance metrics to determine where each employee falls within these categories, including productivity, quality of work, leadership skills, teamwork, and other job-related factors.

While forced ranking has been popular in some organizations, it is a controversial approach to performance appraisal due to its potential to create a highly competitive work environment, where employees may feel pitted against each other. Additionally, the process may be perceived as subjective and prone to biases, leading to the exclusion of valuable employees or overemphasis on certain performance metrics. As a result, many organizations have moved away from this approach and adopted more collaborative and holistic methods of performance evaluation.