The Official Blog of Benifys HR Solutions

360° – An Overview:

360 degree feedback is arguably the most comprehensive feedback process involving an all-round assessment of performance of an individual by people at all levels. It is not just an appraisal method, but also a very powerful development tool. It can be instrumental in not just measuring the current performance, but also identifying the gaps in the knowledge/skills/abilities/attitudes/behaviours required for the job and those held by the incumbent. It not only reflects the judgment/opinion of those up the line, but also the opinions/perspective of those down the line. Professionally managed, 360 degree feedback increases individual self-awareness, and as part of a strategic organisational process can promote:

• Increased understanding of the behaviours required to improve both individual and organisational effectiveness.
• More focused development activities, built around the skills and competencies required for successful organisational performance.
• Increased involvement of people at all levels of the organization.
• Increased individual ownership for self-development and learning.
• Increased familiarity with the implications of cultural or strategic change.

360° as an Appraisal Tool:

360 degree feedback is a process whereby an individual (the recipient) is rated on their performance by people who know something about their work (the raters). This can include direct reports, peers and managers and in some cases customers or clients, in fact anybody who is credible to the individual and is familiar with their work can be included in the feedback process. This is usually in addition to completing a self-assessment on performance. The resulting information is presented to the individual with the aim of helping them to gain a better understanding of their skills and development areas. Each source can provide a different perspective on the individual’s skills, attributes and other job relevant characteristics and thus help to build up a richer, more complete and accurate picture than could be obtained from any one source. 360 degree appraisals involve the appraisee receiving feedback from people (named or anonymous) whose views are considered helpful and relevant. The feedback is typically provided on a form showing job skills/abilities/attitudinal/behavioural criteria and some sort of scoring or value judgment system. The appraisee should also assess themselves using the same feedback instrument or form.

As an appraisal tool, 360 degree feedback ensures more participation and involvement on the part of employees at all levels. It also gives a more balanced view of the individual’s performance as it eliminates some defects like halo effect, fear of persecution, political manipulation etc. inherent in traditional appraisal methods.

360° as a Development Tool:

360 degree feedback is also a powerful tool for training and development. Evaluation on the 360 degree model helps identify the gaps in not just the qualifications and technical aspects of the job requirement, but also in the behavioural and attitudinal aspects. This provides a basis for planning training and orientation activity. 360 degree is also useful in succession planning, career planning and leadership development. Giving an all-round assessment of the skills, abilities and attitudes of an individual, it helps in identifying his/her strong and weak traits. This, in turn, helps chalk out a person’s career path and also find out the likeliest successors for all positions. Also, taking the same test at different stages in one’s career helps to evaluate the training and coaching initiatives.

The benefit of 360 degree employee feedback is the identification of strengths, weaknesses, mentoring insights, and areas needing professional development

360° – Process:

1. Planning

Planning involves establishing the purpose and the process for the 360 degree feedback to be put into place. This means finding out whether the organization is culturally ready for 360 degree feedback to be implemented or not, whether the objectives are clear, the management is committed to the process and those who are going to take part are involved at the planning stage. Also, there has to be a clear process to identify the raters, the questionnaire has to be reviewed to ensure it is relevant, the structure of the feedback has to be decided and, where computers are being used, system security has to be ensured.

2. Piloting

Running a pilot is of vital importance to the process as it will help iron out any difficulties related to the relevance of the questionnaire, the effectiveness of the feedback survey, the efficiency and security of the systems as well as the responsiveness of the employees to the survey.

3. Implementation

Once a pilot run is done, the implementation becomes much smoother as the snags are ironed out in the pilot stage itself. For the process to be a success, it has to be ensured that clear and positive communication is open and everyone is made aware of the role that he/she is to play. It is beneficial to have a team constituted to administer the process. Also, a contact point, or ‘helpline’, should be established to whom queries can be addressed. Deadlines should be clearly and firmly communicated and the confidentiality of the process should be stressed.

4. Feedback

Feedback can be communicated to the individual in two ways i.e. in a face-to-face interview with a facilitator or as a report without any person-to-person interaction. The best practice, however, would be to take the help of a facilitator so that the feedback can be interpreted in the correct light and in a positive manner. The facilitator in question should be someone who is conversant with the process, the criteria and the policies. The facilitator can help focus the discussion on the future development planning.

5. Review

Reviewing the success of the 360 degree feedback is of vital importance as it will help to further smoothen and refine the process.

360° – Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages

As a tool for performance management and training and development, 360 degree feed back has the following advantages:

• It enhances performance quality
• Provides specific, itemized performance feedback.
• Identifies the target development areas.
• It can be a strong motivational tool.
• Facilitates performance improvement be pinpointing the areas that need improvement.
• Is useful in measuring the effectiveness of training programs.
• It enhances self-knowledge.
• It is supportive to continuous learning.
• It improves the reliability and validity of performance information.

Disadvantages

360 degree feedback is not, however, without drawbacks; some of which may be:

• It might result in the undermining of authority of managers due to the pressure of upward appraisal.
• Low evaluation might result in loss of credibility among subordinates.
• Managers may focus on trying to please subordinates in order to get higher appraisals.
• It cannot be used as an absolute measure of job-specific skills.
• Managers may be at a loss on how to interpret ratings from subordinates relative to those from superiors and peers.

Things to Be Aware Of

Given the nature of the 360 degree feedback and the level of participation required, certain things have to be borne in mind before the system is put into implementation:

• It is imperative to gain organization-wide acceptance of the system to ensure the fair and smooth functioning of the process.
• Prior information be given to all those involved and communication channels kept open so that all queries can be cleared.
• Ensure that the instrument in use is valid, clear, relevant and reliable.
• Selection of raters should be made carefully keeping in mind that they have to be familiar with the appraisee’s work and give them the opportunity of opting out if they are not.
• Proper training and guidance be provided to the raters to help them understand their role.
• Promote participation at all levels.
• Administer the process consistently and regularly.
• Be sensitive and respectful towards the employees.
• Ensure that offensive feedback by coworkers is not communicated to the employee.

Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN… What do these remind you of? People, connections, communities, networks… Social networking is the latest way to connect, reach out and build networks. Social networking connects all kinds of people at all levels to each other. In recent times they have also emerged as a means of connecting organizations to individuals and vice versa. Thus, they reveal a huge potential for organizations, especially for recruiters, to build up their networks. Recruiting is, after all, a lot about networking.

So how does networking work for recruiters or organizations? Let’s draw up a parallel with the traditional form of networking here. Recruiter connects with a prospective candidate, interacts frequently at a personal level and, going forward, develops a long term relationship with him. In the real world, these interactions are typically face-to-face or telephonic and, in both cases, one to one. These meetings take place at conferences, trade fairs, alumni meets etc. In the case of e-networking, these interactions are usually one to many and take place through bulletin boards, posts, e-mails, forums, communities etc. In both cases, what networking allows you to do is:

1. Find high-quality prospects who fall in the ‘passive jobseeker’ category and who may or may not have heard of your organization.
2. Pre-qualify or evaluate them on the basis of what you feel they can bring to the table. And how well they fit in with your organization.
3. Establish a personal connection with them away from the forum or the meeting and endeavour to convince them why it is in their best interest to join your organization.

Thus, e-networking becomes a powerful tool for the recruiter as well as a supplement to the traditional form of network building. The biggest advantage in this, of course, remains that e-networking has a far wider reach and access to a far greater talent pool. Also, it can save time and money because it can serve the purpose of a promotional for the company as well as a job board at the same time and most of these sites offer free registration. Building your company’s page or profile on these websites can put it in the line of view of professionals and peers and even prospective clients. Most of these websites also offer options like becoming a fan or follower of a profile. People attracted to your organization can show their interest and you can take it further from there.

So what’s the best way to make the most of this medium? Create a good profile description of the company to be put on the website and keep on updating it with everything that is current in the company. Checking out profiles of other similar companies can also bring in ideas about how to make your company’s page better. As a recruiter, be a regular at the discussion forums and the bulletin boards. Keep interactions open and regular so that contact is not lost. Providing links to blogs or other discussion forums that might interest your prospects is also a good way of keeping them coming back. Another thing which can yield results is making use of your own company’s website to network with your prospects. Establish a discussion forum or a bulletin board at your own corporate website so that you can attract posts from not only people inside the company but also those outside it. This can also be done with the help of managers who can nominate their best performers to be the moderators of these boards. Devote thirty minutes everyday to reading these posts and interacting with people who stand out. This little investment will greatly enhance the quality of the candidates you recruit.

Social networking websites or e-networking is yet to catch on in India as a recruitment tool, but the potential it holds is vast. LinkedIn has made some headway in the arena as many company profiles can be found here, but the potential held by other websites like Facebook, Twitter and even YouTube is yet to be harnessed. Jobseekers are also looking for newer ways to connect with recruiters and the increasing use of internet is only opening up the field. Though the idea of using social networking for recruitment has been around for quite some time, it is now that it seems to be catching the fancy of jobseekers and recruiters alike. Traditional recruiting techniques are in no manner on their way out, but social networking seems primed to be the tool of choice for recruiters wanting to attract ever growing pools of talent.