What is an advantage of the paired comparisons method?

The paired comparisons method is an effective ranking system for evaluating employee performance, and one of its primary advantages is that it simplifies the ranking process by comparing two employees at a time. This method helps to streamline decision-making, as it focuses on direct comparisons rather than trying to evaluate all employees simultaneously. By breaking down the comparisons into pairs, it allows evaluators to make clear choices about who performs better in each pairing, leading to a more structured and manageable ranking process. This direct approach helps to reduce ambiguity and can improve the reliability of the rankings, as biases or inconsistencies are minimized when judging employees against one another in a pairwise fashion.

The other options include aspects that are not necessarily aligned with the strengths of the paired comparisons method. For example, while subjective assessments can be part of many evaluation methods, this approach aims for more objective decision-making through direct pair comparisons. It does not require only a single comparison for each employee, as each employee is compared with multiple others, which contributes to a more comprehensive ranking rather than a singular assessment. Lastly, the method does not inherently generate detailed narratives of performance; it primarily provides a ranked order of employees based on the comparisons made, rather than qualitative descriptions of performance.