“Open” vs. “restricted” permissions: Which is right for my organization?

The Behavioral Data Permissions (“BDP”) page in PI2 allows organization admins to control the level of visibility users have into employee behavioral data.

Wondering which BDP setting is right for your organization? Use this resource to understand the benefits of “open” vs. “restricted” behavioral data permissions, so you can make a decision with confidence.

Tip: Is this your first time hearing about behavioral data permissions? Learn how it works, then return to this article if you still have questions.

The benefits of “open” behavioral data permissions

The “open” BDP setting allows any PI user in your organization to search for any employee’s behavioral data. This option is designed to allow free, unrestricted sharing of behavioral data.

Open settings cannot be customized, and that’s by design. By allowing an option for unconditional access to PI behavioral data, we encourage organizations to empower everyone—from entry level up to the C-Suite—with the gift of behavioral awareness.

Open BDP is recommended for any organization that would like to:

Foster an environment of self and team awareness.
Promote behavioral transparency across the organization.
Encourage employees to learn each other’s behavioral strengths and cautions.

The open setting also ensures you’ll never have to ask, “Can X employee see Y employee?” By nature of this setting, everyone can see everyone.

Tip: Having open BDP settings does not mean you have zero control over what employees can see and do in PI. You can always fine-tune individual software permissions by setting employee access levels.

The benefits of “restricted” behavioral data permissions

The “restricted” BDP setting allows you to control what data PI users are able to see in your organization. This option is intended for organizations that approach behavioral data with particular sensitivity.

By default, restricted settings make it so the only people with access to behavioral data are managers—and the only data they’re able to view are their direct reports. That said, you can soften these restrictions by enabling additional visibility permissions.

Example: You can make it so team members can view each other’s data, or so direct reports can view their managers.)

Restricted BDP is recommended for clients that:

Are sensitive to sharing behavioral data across the organization.
Must adhere to particular data compliance policies.
Prefer to control exactly what data users can search for.

The restricted setting gives you the ability to control behavioral data to your specific needs. That said, you may encounter situations where a user can’t view any employee’s behavioral data outside of their own. While this user will have access to self-awareness insights, they may miss out on other useful features—like 1:1 or team awareness insights—due to these restrictions.

Important: To set restricted BDP settings, it’s important to have accurate employee data uploaded to PI, including each employee’s manager name. If you haven’t recently uploaded organization data, we encourage you to take time to do so. Otherwise, your BDP restrictions may not apply comprehensively across your organization.

Questions to ask before deciding on a BDP setting

Before making a decision for your organization, consider asking yourself the following questions:

Are we comfortable letting employees learn one another’s Reference Profile?
Do we have cross-functional teams where it’s important to share behavioral data?
Have we previously used PI in an “open” capacity, without issue?
Do we trust employees to use PI behavioral data to build greater cohesion?
Does senior leadership approve the use of PI behavioral data across our organization?
Would it create problems for us if we restrict what PI data users are able to search for?

If you find yourself saying “yes” to the majority of these questions, we’d recommend going with the open BDP setting. If you find yourself saying “no,” the restricted setting may be a better fit.

If you are struggling to come to a decision, we recommend talking with your PI consultant. They will be able to discuss your needs and make specific recommendations based on your organization’s needs. Learn how to contact your PI consultant.

FAQs

I’d like to learn more about BDP. Where can I find that information?

For more details on BDP, read our article on how behavioral data permissions work.

Where do I set/modify BDP settings in the software?

BDP settings are located on the “Behavioral Data Permissions” page in Administration. For help accessing this page, visit our article on how to modify behavioral data permissions.

Are there limits on the number of restriction permissions I can enable?

There are four permissions within the “restricted” BDP setting:

Managers can view their direct reports’ behavioral data
Managers of managers can view everyone who reports up to them
All users can view their direct manager’s behavioral data
Team members who report to the same manager can view each other’s behavioral data

The first permission is enabled by default and cannot be disabled. The other three permissions can be toggled on or off based on your organization’s specific needs.

Why does “restricted” BDP require employee-manager data?

Behavioral data permissions are implemented based on organization structure.

Example: The default restriction makes it so only managers can view the behavioral data of their direct reports.

We require employee-manager data to determine reporting lines, so we can implement BDP restrictions accurately.

What’s the easiest way to update employee-manager data?

The answer depends on how many employee records you’re looking to update:

If you have many records to update: We recommend uploading an org file with updated employee data and manager names. Any new information in your uploaded file will be applied to your PI employee directory.
If you need to update just a few: You can update manager data for an individual employee using the “Edit employee details” screen, accessible via the employee directory. Learn how to update manager data.

Note: Having trouble uploading your org file? See the next FAQ question.

I’m getting errors with my org upload that I don’t know how to solve. What now?

Here are the most common issues we see when uploading an org file:

If you list an employee’s manager email, that manager must also be listed in the file. (The manager must have their own row.)
If an employee doesn’t have a manager (e.g., the CEO), you must enter their email in both the “EmployeeEmail” and “ManagerEmail” fields.
All emails in the “EmployeeEmail” and “ManagerEmail” fields must be formatted the same way. (We recommend entering all emails in lowercase format.)

If you’re still encountering errors, please reach out to our support team.