What is the Manager Effectiveness Indicator (MEI)?

Ben Pemstein Ben Pemstein
· Updated

The Manager Effectiveness Indicator (MEI) is a score in the HR Outcomes Dashboard that reflects how consistently managers demonstrate eight core leadership competencies. It is calculated from Manager Effectiveness review cycle data, engagement survey data, or both.

Access and availability

  • Requires access to the HR Outcomes Dashboard
  • Available to Account Admins and HR Admins by default; access can be modified in configuration settings
  • Available on the Total Platform pricing package only

Feature Structure

What MEI Measures

MEI evaluates managers against eight Manager Effectiveness competencies:

  • Managing Oneself
  • Demonstrating Business Acumen
  • Setting Goals
  • Enabling Productivity
  • Giving and Receiving Feedback
  • Influencing Others
  • Supporting Career Growth
  • Building Strong Teams

See Manager Effectiveness Assessment — What It Is and How It Works for a full description of each competency.

Data Sources

MEI is calculated from one or both of the following sources.

Manager Effectiveness Review Cycles

In these structured reviews, managers are evaluated by themselves (self review), their direct reports (upward review), and their own managers (manager review). Each reviewer rates how frequently the manager demonstrates each of the eight competencies on a five-point scale, from Always Demonstrates to Never Demonstrates. Optional written feedback is available for each question.

These cycles can run independently or as part of a broader performance review cycle.

See Create a manager effectiveness review cycle for setup instructions.

Manager Effectiveness Engagement Surveys

These surveys collect anonymous feedback from a manager's direct reports. Respondents rate eight statements — each tied to one competency — on a five-point scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree:

  • I understand what is expected of me at work. (Setting Goals)
  • My manager contributes to my productivity. (Enabling Productivity)
  • My manager frequently provides feedback that helps me improve my performance. (Giving and Receiving Feedback)
  • My manager effectively directs our people and resources toward our most important priorities. (Demonstrating Business Acumen)
  • My manager positively influences others and our culture. (Influencing Others)
  • My manager effectively balances doing work, delegating work, coaching, and influencing others. (Managing Oneself)
  • My manager actively supports my career growth and development. (Supporting Career Growth)
  • My manager values my opinions. (Building Strong Teams)
Note: A minimum of 5 responses is required to generate an MEI value from a Manager Effectiveness Engagement Survey. Results below this threshold are excluded to protect respondent confidentiality.

See Create a manager effectiveness engagement survey campaign for setup instructions.

Platform Usage Fallback (Legacy)

If no Manager Effectiveness Review Cycle or Engagement Survey data exists for a manager, MEI may be calculated using historical 15Five platform usage data (Check-ins, High Fives, 1-on-1s). This is a legacy method. MEI will be based solely on assessment data once that data is available.

If no assessment data is available, the legacy fallback applies automatically. No admin action is required. The fallback may not always produce a score — some managers may have no MEI score until assessment data is collected.

MEI Score Configuration

Admins can control how much weight each data source — review cycles and engagement surveys — contributes to the overall MEI score.

To configure weights: go to Settings (gear icon) → Features → Outcomes & Manager Effectiveness → expand Manager Effectiveness → Edit configuration. Select which subfactors to include, then use Advanced configuration to adjust the weight for each subfactor. Weights must total 100%.

See Configure performance review feature settings for manager effectiveness for instructions.

Key Rules

  • MEI is visible only to users with HR Outcomes Dashboard access. Account Admins and HR Admins have access by default; other roles require explicit grant.
  • MEI is only available on the Total Platform pricing package.
  • The Manager Effectiveness feature must be enabled in feature settings for MEI to appear.
  • Engagement survey results require a minimum of 5 responses per manager to contribute to MEI scoring.
  • If no assessment data exists, MEI falls back to platform usage data. This fallback is legacy behavior and will be replaced by assessment-based scoring once data is available. The fallback may not always produce a score.
  • MEI updates automatically when new assessment data is received. To refresh a stale score, launch a new review cycle or engagement survey.

What You Can Do

Set Up

Analyze

Related Articles

Was this article helpful?

Sorry to hear that. Tell us what was missing →