BizSugar.com › Management › Is "Forced Ranking" a good management tool for your workforce?

Forced ranking is a controversial workforce management tool that uses intense yearly evaluations to identify a company's best and worst performing employees, using person-to-person comparisons. In theory, each ranking will improve the quality of the workforce. Top managers rank workers into three categories: The top 20% are the "A" players, the people who will lead the future of the company. They're given raises, stock options, and training. The middle 70% are the "B" players, steady-eddies who are given smaller raises and encouraged to improve. The bottom 10 percent are the "C" players, who contribute the least and may be meeting expectations but are simply "good" on a team of "greats." They're given no raises or bonuses and are either offered training, asked if they'd be happier elsewhere, or fired.