Read the heatmap

The heatmap is the primary results view for a PSindex® survey. One glance shows which parts of the organization feel safe and which don’t.

Before you start

You need the admin role, or access to the survey through sharing. Participants never see scores. Open a closed survey and it lands on its results.

How the grid is laid out

• Rows are the groups you’re comparing, one per value of whatever you’re grouped by. An Aggregate row combines them. When a single group covers exactly the same people, the Aggregate row is hidden, since it would repeat that group’s numbers.
• Columns are Overall and each of The 4 stages of psychological safety. Expand a stage to see the questions underneath it.
• Cells are color-coded scores, read against the survey average.

Select any row to open that group’s report beside the heatmap, with its strengths, opportunities, every survey item, and its comments. See Open a team report.

Zones, in one line each

• Blue Zone — people agree; safety is felt here.
• Neutral Zone — people are hedging. Neutral is not fine; it’s undecided.
• Red Zone — people disagree. This is where the work is.

A decent average can hide a meaningful red minority. The report panel shows each group’s split across the three zones, so read that rather than the score alone.

Change what you’re comparing

• Group by switches the rows to any attribute you uploaded: team, department, location, tenure.
• Add filter narrows the population before grouping.
• View controls how far down the org chart to go, from All Levels to a set number of levels below a leader.
• Compare to picks an earlier survey to measure against. Choose one and the heatmap shows movement since then; choose No comparison to switch it off.

When you build a slice you’ll want again, save it with Bookmark this. To take the grid elsewhere, use Download heatmap (CSV).

Switch the view from Heatmap to Org chart to see the same scores laid out along your reporting lines.

Small groups are hidden

A group with fewer responses than the survey’s threshold shows Not enough responses — needs at least 3. instead of a score. That’s confidentiality by design: nobody should be able to deduce an individual’s answers. The threshold defaults to 3 and is set in the survey’s Advanced options during setup. If a row is missing, broaden the grouping.

Where to go next

Drill into a manager’s branch with Use hierarchy and downline views, or line results up against your last survey in Compare surveys and export results. For the open-ended answers behind the scores, see Read the qualitative responses.