Pros & Cons of Peer Review Job Performance
Peer reviews of job performance can have both positive and negative implications. Sometimes referred to as 360-degree feedback, this system of assessing job performance was used by over 90 percent of those companies classified as Fortune 500 companies, as of 2002, according to the "Australian Financial Review." The pros and cons of this type of assessment are often debated by those within business organizations, government and educational circles.
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Improvement
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The opportunity for improvement is one of the primary positive outcomes of peer-review job performance assessments. Criticisms of peers by other workers are generally seen as an opportunity to learn what needs to be done to grow and improve job performance. Employees who are reviewed by their peers are less likely to take offense at assessments coming from their peers, however, they also may be less likely to take such criticisms as seriously.
Involvement
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Another positive aspect of peer reviews is they allow for a greater level of employee involvement in the assessment and review process. Employees will have a greater sense of satisfaction knowing they play an important role in providing input into the performance of other employees. Because they are involved, they are more likely to understand the evaluation process and commit themselves to it as well. Involvement in the assessment process may lead to greater acceptance of the process as being fair as well.
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Honesty
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One of the major drawbacks of a peer review is the possibility that employees may not be as brutally honest as they need to be to affect positive change. Peer reviews of job performance may be too kind and the prevailing mentality of one employee helping out another may result rather than an honest assessment by each employee. Small companies may have employee cultures that prohibit such honesty in the first place. Information leaks could cause dissension among employees.
Usage
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Another potential downfall of a peer review of job performance is that it may not be used correctly by employers. The employer may use it as an opportunity to include employee input, but such input is not necessarily linked to organizational values or goals. If the evaluation does not have some sort of followup system and is used as a standalone tool, it may not be as effective as an employer assessment.
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References
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