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Methodology
Every number on Ascend is an aggregate of anonymous reviewer opinions, measured against dimensions grounded in decades of management research. This page explains what each piece means, in plain language.
The framework
Ascend measures 19 dimensions of people leadership, grouped into 10 categories (schema version 3). Each category below lists its exact review questions, so you can see precisely what reviewers were asked.
Does this manager communicate openly, set clear expectations, and explain why the work matters? High scores mean people rarely wonder what is expected of them or why it counts.
Google's Project Oxygen found communication and a clear vision among the defining behaviors of its best managers; Gallup's Q12 places knowing what is expected of you as the first condition of engagement.
Communication & Clarity: “In my experience, this manager communicated openly and clearly.”
Expectations & Direction: “This manager set clear, consistent expectations and priorities.”
Vision & Context: “This manager connected my work to a bigger picture and explained the 'why'.”
Does this manager give useful feedback and invest in people's careers? High scores mean timely coaching and real career conversations, not just annual reviews.
Being a good coach was the number one behavior in Project Oxygen; self-determination theory ties growth (competence) to intrinsic motivation.
Feedback & Coaching: “This manager gave me useful, timely feedback.”
Support for Growth: “This manager supported my growth and career development.”
Does this manager trust people with autonomy and make sound, timely decisions? High scores mean freedom to own your work rather than being micromanaged, and blockers that actually get cleared.
Empowering without micromanaging is a core Project Oxygen behavior; autonomy is one of the three basic psychological needs in self-determination theory.
Trust & Autonomy: “This manager trusted me with appropriate autonomy (vs. micromanaging).”
Decisions & Judgment: “This manager made sound, timely decisions and removed blockers.”
Do people feel respected, and safe to speak up, ask questions, disagree, and admit mistakes? That climate is called psychological safety. High scores also mean the manager makes space for different perspectives and supports accommodations. It is about how the manager runs the room, never about anyone's identity.
Psychological safety comes from Harvard professor Amy Edmondson, who defines it as a shared belief that the team is safe for speaking up without fear of punishment or humiliation; her research links it to faster-learning, higher-performing teams.
Respect & Psychological Safety: “I felt respected and safe to speak up around this manager.”
Inclusion & Belonging: “This manager made space for different perspectives so everyone could contribute.”
Inclusion & Accommodation: “In my experience, this manager treated people fairly and inclusively across backgrounds, and supported accommodations when needed.”
Does this manager evaluate work fairly and give credit where it is due? High scores mean recognition feels consistent and earned.
Fairness is one of the five core social needs in the SCARF model from neuroscience research, and recognition is a central Gallup Q12 engagement element.
Fairness & Recognition: “In my experience, this manager recognized work fairly and gave credit.”
Does this manager set realistic, sustainable expectations about workload? High scores mean pace that people can maintain; low scores often signal burnout risk.
Project Oxygen includes expressing interest in wellbeing; decades of burnout research (notably Maslach) tie unsustainable workload directly to exhaustion and attrition.
Workload & Wellbeing: “This manager set realistic, sustainable expectations about workload.”
Is this manager accessible and supportive when people need help? High scores mean you can actually get time and unblocking when it matters.
Availability and support show up across Project Oxygen behaviors and Gallup's finding that having someone who cares about you at work drives engagement.
Availability & Support: “This manager was accessible and supportive when I needed help.”
Does the team get meaningful things done under this manager? This domain covers execution, handling change constructively, understanding the team's domain well enough to lead it, and supporting smart adoption of new tools and AI.
Results orientation and technical credibility are Project Oxygen behaviors; adaptability draws on research into transformational leadership.
Drive & Effectiveness: “This manager helped the team get meaningful things done and cleared obstacles.”
Adaptability & Change: “This manager handled change and setbacks constructively and helped us adapt.”
Technology & AI Enablement: “This manager encouraged smart use of new tools and AI to work better, and supported us in learning them.”
Domain & Subject-Matter Fit: “This manager understood the domain my team works in well enough to lead it effectively.”
Does this manager stay out of gossip and keep the team climate constructive? This is distinct from psychological safety: a team can feel safe to speak up and still suffer from tolerated toxicity.
Organizational climate research treats professionalism and civility as their own factor in team health, separate from safety to speak up.
Professionalism & Team Climate: “In my experience, this manager stayed out of gossip and did not create or tolerate a toxic team climate.”
One holistic rating (“Overall, how would you rate your experience working for this manager?”), plus two summary signals: whether reviewers would choose to work for this manager again, and how likely they are to recommend the experience to a peer.
Question wording and interpretations are periodically refined; changes are versioned so scores stay comparable over time.