The 360-Degree Appraisal Process
Companies conduct performance appraisals to assess the productivity levels of each individual employee during the appraisal period. The 360-degree appraisal technique is useful. The company obtains feedback on the performance of an employee from all the individuals who interact with him for work. The individuals are his immediate superior, immediate subordinates, peers, department heads and external customers of the company. This way, management forms an estimate of the employee's performance after taking into account the opinions of all important people.
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Immediate Superior
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The immediate boss is often regarded as the best judge of the employee's performance. Before the start of the appraisal, she explains the work to the subordinate and sets goals and targets for him to attain. Throughout the period, she closely works with him and guides him whenever he needs assistance. At the end of the appraisal period, she ascertains whether the employee delivered output. Also, because she has worked closely with him, she knows of all the areas where he needs extra training and coaching.
Immediate Subordinates
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This is a relatively new concept that the subordinates are also asked for opinions of the superior. This is vital. Only when the superior is efficient and effective does he extract quality work from his subordinates. Management obtains their feedback with a view to correct the performance of the superior. If the subordinates point out the superior's communication skills are not good, management provides him soft-skill training. After training, the performance of the employee increases manifold.
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Peers
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Obtaining feedback from the peers of the employee is significant. All the peers interact and work together to carry out organizational tasks. Therefore, the peers can assess the contribution of the employee in the overall completion of the task. They also highlight her relative strengths and weaknesses in performance. For example, an employee could have in-depth technical knowledge but lack presentation skills. These points get highlighted, and management then takes appropriate measures.
Department Heads
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Although the department head is not involved directly with the employee's work, he still has a fair idea of his performance. He delegates work to the employee's superior and then, at the end of a term, the completed tasks are presented to the department head. The immediate boss routinely apprises the department head of the performance of all her subordinates. Sometimes, in the absence of the immediate superior, the department head directly assigns work to the employee.
External Customers
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Some employees communicate directly with the external clients of the company. The employee could be a marketing executive. He gets production orders for the company or sells the finished products to the clients. These clients can provide their feedback on whether the client clearly explained the features and functionalities of the product.
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