360-DEGREE CRITIQUE

360-Degree Critique

360-Degree Critique

The 360-degree review is a performance evaluation system that uses feedback from multiple sources. These appraisals are designed to provide more comprehensive feedback because they combine information from supervisors, peers, subordinates and clients.

The use of a 360-degree review is done with the expectation that it will provide a broader perspective regarding the employee's performance through feedback from people who see a person's behavior in settings that a supervisor may not. Better feedback is expected to lead to better performance improvement. In practice, however, the 360-degree review is usually difficult to implement and maintain to the level of effectiveness to warrant the increased work of using this appraisal method (Dessler, 2004).

The primary goal is to develop rather than to appraise employees. This information is used extensively for making promotion and pay-increase recommendations, which creates a conflict of interest situation for some who are expected to provide unbiased input. Another problem concerns the issue of anonymity. Anonymous ratings are more honest than signed ratings; but the specificity of the feed back typically allows people to identify the author. Another factor contributing to the failure rates of 360-degree programs is the lack of training provided to those individuals who are expected to complete the reviews, leading to feedback that can be personal and often derogatory.

In addition, for organizations to better compete in the complexities and frequently changed environment, many organizations have restructured their traditional hierarchical structure to a flexible, flattened, and horizontal structure (Hancock and Colonel, 1999). This has caused a wider span of control; therefore managers were incapable to observe the performance of a large number of individuals. This created a need for non-traditional feedback systems. Supervisors required feedback from multiple sources because they are not fully acknowledging each one of individuals' performances or behaviors.

If an organization decides ...