Feedback to Managers: A Guide to Reviewing and Selecting Multirater Instruments for Leadership Development 4th Edition

Step 9

Examine the Response Scale

Look at the main response scale—the choices people will have when they respond to each item. For example, an item such as “Clearly communicates a positive outlook for the future” could have response choices such as “To a great extent,” “To some extent,” and “To a little extent.” Examining this helps you understand how people will be asked to think about the competencies measured by the instrument. Continuous response, meaning that responses are assigned numbers (for example, 5 = always, 3 = sometimes, 1 = never) can also provide insight into how scores are computed (adding or averaging across items in a scale). Will your target managers be asked to rate the competencies as either strengths or areas for development, ...