Calibrations Have a Context-Collapse Problem

Summary

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the author’s employer.What is Context Collapse? Context collapse occurs when content intended for one audience is consumed by multiple audiences simultaneously, each bringing their own frames of reference and expectations. Originally coined to describe social media dynamics, it's when a message loses its intended context as it travels across different social spheres. (Also the reason why Twitter is a hell-hole). This same phenomenon doesn't just plague our social media posts, it undermines one of the most critical processes in our organizations: performance reviews. While in social media the cost might be a misunderstanding or awkward conversation, in calibration meetings the stakes are careers, compensation, and team morale. We're in that room again: five long tables arranged in a square, twenty-five managers hunched over laptops, and the flickering overhead lights that never quite stop buzzing... okay, I'm just making it up — most of us are on Zoom for this. But you get the idea? It's the calibration day. The plan is to be objective and fair. But if there's one thing years in engineering leadership have taught me, it's that the moment we all sit down, context has a habit of crashing in on itself.The Well-Intentioned FictionIn theory, calibration is supposed to be the sanity check that keeps us from grading on a curve, but too often it’s just performance review theater. Managers gather to cross-verify each other's assessments, making sure that one engineer's "exceeds expectations" in Team A matches another engineer's "exceeds" in Team B.In reality? It can be a competitive storytelling hour.I once watched a manager deliver a passionate three-minute speech about an engineer's "groundbreaking" work on a caching layer. Two minutes in, I realized I had no idea if this was actually impressive or if the manager just happen...