Commenting Assignment Paper on the 360 Performance Review (Essay Sample)

Performance reviews 360-degrees
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Performance reviews play a vital role in human resources management in that they provide employees with valuable information concerning their job performance and can affect the well-being of an organization. The significance of an effective routine review cannot be emphasized enough the overall routine of an organization. Performance reviews can posses’ profound cause on levels of worker motivation and fulfillment. The primary duties of a manager in any organization are to evaluate the performance of his staff. Performance reviews are complicated and often provoke a sense of angst for managers as well as employees, and excellent communication on the part of the manager is essential. The spirit of the presentation review is to review the workers character, manner, potentials and past performance on the job. Performance reviews furnish an employee valuable information regarding their work habits; it identifies areas of improvement and development; it is also a time where changes to compensation and employment are discussed. There are many methods of performance reviews available to management all having the same end in mind that of providing the employee with information and direction. Having a tool that measures employee performance is paramount for the employee as well as management in that it provides a road map for the employee as well as the manager and allows them to strategize future development. A good performance review lets an employee know where they are going and what they need to get there "Employees want to know what they are doing well and where they can improve," says Kristen Leverone, a senior vice president at outplacement and coaching giant Lee Hecht Harrison. "Career conversations are critical to engagement and retention." Performance reviews have evolved throughout the years. No longer is management limited to the traditional or "free form" review where employee performance was discussed between the supervisor and the employee, with no input from others. (Fakharyan, Behrooz, Dehafarin 2012). Over the years the non-traditional review methods have evolved and are now common practice. The 360-degree review method is one of the newer methods of providing work-related feedback to employees.
360-Degree Review
Many organizations use 360-degree review or multi-source feedback when conducting performance reviews. Approximately 40 percent of organizations use multisource feedback (MSF) in some capacity. Flatter organizations, formalized leadership development efforts, and cross-functional work arrangements have contributed to the prevalence of MSF process The method allows for more excellent feedback in regards to employee job performance in that it solicits information concerning an employee's performance from many sources. In many instances the information garnered from this review method is provided by an employee's co-workers, direct reports, supervisors, as well as the employee himself. It is very different from the traditional review method in that it is collaborative in nature, and allows for a more comprehensive review of an employee in that colleagues from various departments are given the opportunity to provide feedback regarding an employee this is not possible in a traditional review. The 360 review looks at several characteristics such as an employee's behaviors and traits, past performance, developmental needs, strengths, and weakness. This information is compiled to give an extensive picture of how the person's skills and demeanor are viewed by others. This method of review relieves some of the angst that employees feel in that the supervisor is not solely responsible for the review. "It frees you as in individual and as an organization from being held hostage by the views of your bosses, "said 360 evaluator Bruce Sevy of PDI Ninth House in Minneapolis (Taylor, 2011). Technology has substantially impacted the way in which review are being conducted. The internet has made it has made convenient for employees, peers, and managers to perform employees reviews online.
Conducting an effective 360 Degree Review
For reviews to be well received and accomplish their mission, they must be given in a manner that is beneficial to the employee as well as the manager. The 360-degree review is no exception. To conduct a 360-degree review, there are certain roles and responsibilities that need to be followed to create a favorable review. These roles are an administrator, subject, manager, and reviewer. Each of these roles comes with specific responsibilities in the 360-degree review process.
The Administrator
The administrator is responsible for preparing for the review, conducting interviews, presenting results, and aiding the reviewed employee with developmental plans. It is important that the manager of the employee not be the administrator to avoid a conflict of interest. The administrator role is important in that they serve the interest of the employee, not the manager, and the 360-degree review should be looked like a tool to help an employee develop valuable skills. The purpose of the 360-review is not to judge but to provide feedback and a framework for development.
The Subject
The subject is the person being reviewed by their managers, coworkers, and clients. It is important that the subject understands that this process is a tool to help them in their development, it provides the employee with valuable information regarding their work behaviors and traits through the eyes of others. There is not right or wrong this is the opportunity for the subject to see himself as others see him this may be uncomfortable. It is important that the subject recognizes that the purpose is not to judge but to provide honest feedback to help in development. In some instances, the subject may be asked to review themselves in that it helps to identify any blind spots an employee may have. After the review, the employee can decide to take the information provided to make changes or not, without change there is no growth.
The Reviewers
Typically the number of reviewers range anywhere from 5-10 people who are asked by the administrator to answer questions concerning the subject with the purpose of providing valuable feedback concerning the subject as well as rate the subjects skills. There will be some working relationship between the subject and the reviewers such as a co-worker, customer, or team member. The manager is not part of this process. The information provided will give the subject insight as to where improvement needs to occur and what skills need to be developed. The raters have a responsibility to the subject in that the information they provide should be constructive, honest, and anonymous.
The Manager
Managers play an active role in the 360-review process; their feedback is tracked and recorded separately in that they are approaching this process from a different perspective. Their role is similar to a reviewer in that they will be asked questions concerning the subject's skills, behaviors, and work relationships. The hard part for a manager will be remembering that the goal of the 360 review is not to measure job effectiveness of the employee (Vanek, 2016). The manager and the employee should already know how well they are performing; the information should not be a surprise to the employee. After the review, the manager and the administrator will meet to discuss development options for the subject to assist him with improving skills and relationships. The manager needs to make a commitment to the subject by providing tools, time and encouragement as the subject implements the changes.
360-Degree Review and its effects on compensation
A 360-degree review is an excellent tool for development and providing employees a road map for future success. The 360-degree analysis promotes leadership skills of an employ. In the process of the overall individual performance ability and competence one gets to realize their potentials. The realization of one's potentials enables one to advanced in their skills and workstations. The performance review of an organization enables one to make the right and sound decisions for the firm. The reviews based on the continuous 360-degree assessments helps to mitigate any possibility of partiality by bringing multiple choices into the equation. The information enables the organization to impartially address the potential inequality in the work place. The reviews also help in eliminating the fear of failure by encouraging the employs to take risks. The employees are encouraged to develop new ideas. However, the performance reviews also do have negative impacts on the compensations. It is a potential source of stress to most employees. It should be seen as a strategy to solve employee problems but to some employees, it is not the case. Some employees see it as a source of stress. Not very many employees would love to be evaluated. It, therefore, brings sickness to them due to the phobia. The performance evaluation may stifle breakthrough innovation as the pay may not reflect advancement making compensation of difficult to achieve. It is not a useful tool when tied to compensation. There are too many variables that can get in the way that can influence and affect an employee's compensation. Factors such as bias, competitiveness, and lack of understanding are all ways that can influence the outcome of a 360-Degree review and therefore compensation should not be tied to it. Grote said that applying 360-degree feedback to development or coaching "probably doesn't do much harm," but when it is used for determining compensation and promotion, misleading information may be provided "by the office screw-up who does not know anything anyway. And also by the guy down the hall bucking for the same promotion I am (...