Seeking Advice on Implementing 360-Degree Feedback in a 300+ Employee Telecom Company

Hi, I am working in a telecom company having 300+ employees. What do you people think will be a feasible and appraisable system to be implemented? Moreover, if 360-degree feedback is okay, then kindly guide me on how to implement it.

Regards,
Mehwish

hi,
360 Performance Appraisal incorporates multiple perspectives by using feedback from a variety of sources. These sources include peers, subordinates, customers, self, and supervisor.
In one of the company, they are following the 360-degree PA. To evaluate the performance of the employee the conduct the survey with their peers, subordinates and to whom he regularly communicate (If that employee is communicating with some customers, dealers, vendors) and get feedback about the performance of that employee. Therefore, you can conduct survey with his team head, main customer, team member, and self-rating.
Some extra information regarding this topic
Uses for 360 Performance Appraisal include:
· Employee Development
· Performance Appraisal
· Performance Management
· Training Needs Assessment
· Evaluation of Training
· Attitude Survey
· Organizational Climate Survey
· Customer Satisfaction Survey
With Regards
Nila

Hi,

Regarding 360-degree appraisal:

With a population of 300 employees, it is a challenging task to conduct 360-degree appraisals. Evaluating each employee's performance requires conducting a survey with at least four individuals with whom they regularly communicate. A more effective approach would be to utilize the self-assessment method with a graphic rating scale. For better results, consider conducting a survey with the employee's immediate superior using a five-point scale or an essay appraisal.

With Regards, Nila 😊

Dear Nila,

Thanks a lot for being so helpful. I really do appreciate your response. However, I would like you to know that earlier we didn't have any proper appraisal system in our company. This time, I am willing to implement a proper appraisal system.

One thing I wanted to confirm was, can I use 360-degree feedback for the management and executive levels and the rating scale method on the labor side?

Secondly, I would like you to elaborate on the techniques you mentioned earlier on how to get a start on this project.

Regards,
Mehvi :D

Hi,

Introducing 360-degree feedback (360 DF) for performance appraisal directly may backfire. You should not use 360 DF for appraisal unless there is mutual trust among the employees in the organization. 360 DF should support the Performance Appraisal System and should not replace it. Indian culture, being relationship-oriented, makes it difficult to implement 360 DF for personnel decisions rather than developmental purposes.

Therefore, you should introduce 360 as a developmental tool, and over the years, you can implement it to support the appraisal system. The experiences of various Indian organizations in implementing 360 DF for development and appraisal are given in the book "360 Degree Feedback and Performance Appraisal Systems" by Dr. T. V. Rao, Raju Rao, and "Power of 360 Degree Feedback" by T. V. Rao and Raju Rao.

Hope this suffices your query to an extent.

Regards,
Mohit

I want to know the following points:

1. The difference between 360 feedback as an appraisal tool and as a development tool.
2. Which appraisal method is the most practical and easily applicable in my organization of 300+ employees.
3. If I use the 360 feedback system, how will I manage a department of 15 employees? Should I get the feedback of 14 employees for every employee's appraisal?

Kindly guide me through this.

Regards,
Mehvi

Hello Mehwish. Using a 360-degree feedback system has risks and benefits that need to be carefully considered. Especially so if this is the first kind of appraisal system you are implementing in the company. 360-degree systems, to work well, require a high-level of trust between employees and managers and a high level of executive support. The results for some individuals can be very confronting and the debrief needs to be handled very professionally.

An added risk is that where 360 scores are used to decide bonuses, salary rises, etc, employees may collude to raise the score in a particular department. Yes, you can use 360-degree feedback for execs and managers and a manager only appraisal for all other employees. You will need to decide your company's objectives for the appraisal system and how the appraisal system you select will satisfy those objectives.

Some companies are using 360-degree feedback for employee development planning only, as this takes the emotional pressure off employees and managers. Remember, 360-degree feedback gives feedback about behaviors and so are not objectively validated as with objective performance measures. Consider the benefits and disbenefits of the various appraisal systems very carefully. Yes, 360-degree feedback is more believable, however, the downside is that it is more time consuming and costly to conduct. There are now a number of online systems that you can use to cut down on the administrative load.

Lastly, it is not a case of either-or. Many companies are using a mix of performance-based measures and behavior measures (such as 360). Consider your options carefully.

Vicki Heath

Director

Business Performance Pty Ltd

http://www.businessperform.com