360 degrees feedback

By
Kiran kumar Thoti

y 360 degree feedback has been found to be one such facilitator

of change at an individual level. y It was started in the mid-eighties at the india institute of management, Ahmedabad by T.V.Rao y Once, it was branded in the US as 360 degree appraisal it caught the attention of many corporation and today a large percentage of Fortune 500 companies use it in some form or the other.

 360 degree feedback requires strong people not fragile minds Tata group, Aditya Birla group, Johnson & Johnson, NIIT ,

wipro , BPCL , NOCIL , and Philips software etc..

Individual effectiveness feedback in NIIT, and Leadership compentency model as defined in philips, Standards of leadership(SOL) as followed in J & J , Totality of leadership concept at Motorola. y 360 degree feedback also know as Multi-Rater Assessment & feedback system(MAFS)
y

objectives
y Insight into the strong and weak areas of the candidate in

terms of effective performance or role( activities, styles, traits, qualities, etc), impact on others & the like. y Identification of developmental needs and preparing development plans more objectively in relation to current or future roles and performance improvement for individuals

y Data generation to serve as a more objective basis for

rewards and other personnel decisions y Reinforcement of other change management efforts and organisation effectiveness directed interventions y These may include: TQM efforts, customer focused ,flat structures, quality enhancing & cost reducing interventions, decision process change etc

y Basic for performance linked pay or performance rewards y Alignment of individual and group goals with organisational

vision, values & goals y Aid in : culture building, leadership development, potential appraisal & development, carrer planning & development, succession planning & development, team building

Prerequisites for participation in 360degrees feedback

y The top management of the organisation is committed to

develop the competencies of employees on a continuous basis y If there are other HRD systems operating in the organisation they are being implemented seriously y Top management is willing to invest its time & effort in giving feedback to its own subordinates

y People take feedback supportively and use it for development y People in the organisation take feedback seriously and try to

benefit from the same y Readiness of the Individual: y The candidate is desirous of knowing himself through the eyes of others y He is willing to receive feedback from others and does not become over defensive

Readiness of the individual

y The candidate is a learning oriented individual y The candidate has atleast one & half years of experience y The candidate has no history of any previous psychological or

psychiatric problems

Post script
y

y y y y

360 degree feedback can itself be used as a change management tool. If a few individuals are ready to volunteer it is good enough to start the change process Use external facilitators with credibility Confidentiality of data is critical Start on a voluntary basis Educate the potential participants

Post..
y Individuals may voluntarily discuss their feedback with their

seniors y Conduct follow-up surveys with the help of the facilitator y Perfect the process by plugging any defects y Keep conducting on a voluntary basis until pressure builds up from the users

merits Evaluates method applied to achieve targets Reveals strengths and weaknesses in management style Forces inflexible managers to initiate selfchange Creates an atmosphere of teamwork and improvement Unearths truths about organisational culture and ambience

Demerits Ignores performance in terms of reaching goals Colleagues responses tend to be biased Assesses deny the truth of negative feedback The system can be used to humiliate people Linking findings to rewards can prove to be unfair

Appraisal interview and feedback

y To let employees know where they stand y To help employees do a better job by clarifying what is

expected of them y To plan opportunities for development and growth y To strengthen the superior-subordinate working relationship by developing a mutual agreement of goals y To provide an opportunity for employees

Appraiser and appraisee need to follow

y Adequate preparation y Describe behavior

what happened?, where and when did it occur ? , who was involved ?, how did it affect others ? Proper timing Help both parties

Thank
YoU