[potamic]

I have been part of such initiatives in other organizations. The language is deliberately imprecise to give managers room to maneuver. It is also set to unattainable standards to make it easy to justify why someone is not getting promoted.

Appraisals are always highly subjective and frameworks like these are simply ways for the company to build a narrative of meritocracy and fairness. It's arguable how well it works though, because people generally see through such charades. But for some reason it's taboo to admit the inherent subjectivity in this process.

[blowski]

I've been pulled into meetings with people trying to write these things, and I can honestly say that they always seem sincere about trying to make the company a better place. It's not an excuse for cynical "hah, this load of bullshit will fool everyone". What's more, they're smart enough to know exactly how many people will see it that way.

Doing this kind of thing can't be the only thing do as a company to improve culture, just like a coding style document won't magically improve a codebase.

But, as part of a wider attempt to make things better, it can be useful.