Why does rating employee attributes on a graphic rating scale often result in low reliability?

• A. Because employees are always aware of the criteria being rated and can adjust their behavior accordingly.
• B. Because graphic rating scales require complex statistical analysis for each rating.
• C. Because raters may interpret scale points differently, leading to inconsistent ratings across evaluators.
• D. Because graphic rating scales always use objective measures that eliminate subjectivity.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what a graphic rating scale is — it is a common performance appraisal tool where raters evaluate employee attributes by marking a point along a continuum (e.g., from poor to excellent).
2. Step 2: Recognize that reliability in this context refers to the consistency of ratings across different raters or over time.
3. Step 3: Identify that one key reason for low reliability is that different raters may interpret the scale points differently; for example, what one rater considers 'good' might be 'average' to another.
4. Step 4: Note that this subjective interpretation leads to variability in ratings, which reduces inter-rater reliability because the same employee might receive different scores from different evaluators.
5. Step 5: Conclude that unlike objective measures, graphic rating scales rely on subjective judgments, and without clear, standardized definitions for each scale point, inconsistency is likely to occur.