RATER TRAINING PROGRAMS:

Telenor Rater Training Services team provides expert, rater training and rater scales management
services coupled with unparalleled scientific, technical and procedural support. The main aim is
to improve rater accuracy by familiarizing raters with the meaning of performance, along with its
components and dimensions, and by involving them in the design and review of the rating scale
being used.

Raters are trained to develop certain abilities that enable them to accurately and effectively rate
participants’ behavior and results. For raters to be able to rate accurately, some of the skills
relevant to observing, noting, classifying and evaluating participants’ behavior during exercises
or simulations have to be developed. They should also be able to record behavior and reactions
in detail and with precision.

Telenor employ a variety of training and certification methodologies and technologies to deliver
truly comprehensive rater training capabilities, including:

 The ability to tailor training programs and materials according to your specific needs
 Use of cutting edge technology to train, track and monitor raters
 Careful attention in training sponsor and staff on the monitoring and interpretation of
diagnostic, efficacy, safety and other types of scales carried throughout the trial
 Centralized review of study data to protect against rater inflation and other rater errors
 Centralized scoring of study data by experts to enhance the quality of ratings and protect
against rater inflation

There are many types of training programs but here at Telenor the type of training that is given to
raters are:

Rater Error Training:

Since we are all human, it is common for managers to make subconscious errors when assessing
employee behavior and preparing a performance appraisal document.  These rater errors are
reflective of our subconscious biases toward the employee. These biases can give an employee
an unfair advantage or disadvantage over others in their peer group. Therefore Telenor has
developed certain training program for raters to effectively evaluate employees.

Some of the errors that are most commonly observed at Telenor includes errors such as halo
effect, central tendency, leniency effect, strictness effect, similar to me error, contrast effect and
recency effect. These errors are mostly made by raters while evaluating employees at Telenor.

At Telenor, we give rater error training essentially to recognize leniency, halo, and central
tendency errors and to avoid these rating patterns when making performance ratings. There is
considerable evidence that rater error training reduces halo and leniency errors. The major
premise of rater error training is to familiarize raters with common rating errors (e.g. leniency,
halo, central tendency and contrast errors) and encouraging raters to avoid these errors will result
in the direct reduction of rating errors and hence more effective performance ratings. The major
focus of this training is to change rater response distributions and presumably improve
performance ratings. However this training does not prove much beneficial in increasing
accuracy of evaluation. Hence we have other trainings methods also.

Frame of Reference Training:

Frame-of-reference (FOR) training focuses on developing a mutual understanding or frame of

The ultimate goal of frame-of-reference training is to train raters to share and use common
conceptualizations of performance when making their evaluations. Here it is postulated that to
the extent that raters evaluate performance in line with dimensions and standards of performance
provided by job experts, ratings will be more effective. Specifically, frame-of-reference training
involves categorizing behaviors into appropriate performance dimensions as well as correctly
judging the effectiveness of those behaviors. FOR training shows promise with its effects on
rating accuracy. However, lower behavioral recall presents a drawback when feedback is
provided. This fact warrants the method to be used mostly for developmental purposes. It was
observed at Telenor that frame of reference training presumably increases rating accuracy by
improving the elements of performance ratings i.e. based on both memory and contextual factors.

Behavioral Observation Training:

When conducting performance appraisals it is necessary to ensure that the raters are accurately
observing work behaviors and maintaining specific memories of employees’ work behaviors. At
Telenor BOT is designed to improve the detection, perception and recall of performance
behaviors. This plays a significant part in the performance appraisal process. Observation
involves noting specific facts and behaviors that affect work performance as well as the end
result. Such data is the basis for a performance appraisal. In addition to observing behaviors,
raters are also taught how to document behaviors appropriately. Behavioral observation training
typically involves either taking notes during observations of performance or keeping a diary of
observations for an extended period of time. Managers are required to keep notes and to have
diaries to keep track of all the necessary information regarding employees’ behavior.

It was noticed that rating errors such as leniency and halo are primarily due to a lack of
information stemming from problems in observational processes. Consequently, Telenor gives
rater training that focuses on strategies to improve behavioral observation in order to increase the
effectiveness of performance ratings. Such trainings are categorized as behavioral observation
training and include any methodology that focuses on the observation or recording of behavioral
events (e.g. note taking, diary keeping, etc.) as opposed to information integration and
evaluation.

A key distinction is that observational accuracy measures are based on some objective
quantifiable characteristic of the stimulus material. The most commonly used measure of
observational accuracy, for example, is some type of frequency of behavior scale. More
specifically, raters are asked to provide an estimate of the number of times a particular behavior
or event occurred. Observational accuracy is then based on the relationship of this estimate to the
number of times the behavior actually occurred in the stimulus material.

Self-Leadership Training:

Self-leadership is the process of influencing oneself to establish the self-direction and self-
motivation needed to perform tasks. It can be seen as a process of influencing or leading oneself
through the purposeful control of one’s thoughts. The objective of SLT is to improve the self-
confidence of the raters in their capability to conduct evaluations. Self-leadership addresses the
utility of and the rationale for the standards themselves. The self-leader is often looked upon as
the ultimate source of standards that govern his or her behavior Therefore, individuals are seen as
capable of monitoring their own actions and determining which actions and consequent
outcomes are most desirable.

The main focus of Telenor is on SL training techniques that include positive self talk, mental
imagery, positive beliefs and thought patterns. Rater mental imagery is the imaging of successful
performance of a task before it is actually completed. The mental visualization of something
enhances the rater’s perception of change because the rater has already experienced the change in
his/her mind. Mental imagery and self efficacy prove very essential in implementing and
improving complex higher order skills such as decision making and strategy formulation, both of
which has significant similarities to the performance appraisal process.