The 360 Degree Performance Evaluation

360 Feedback is Critical for Objective Evaluations

Managing human resource capital is now mission critical. One of the most effective tools for managing human resources is the 360-degree evaluation process. Traditionally, an employee is evaluated from a sole source (1 degree), namely the immediate supervisor or manager. However, employees interact with numerous sources: Co-workers, customers, Managers outside the employees department, vendors, contractors, and others. The 360- degree evaluation process relies on these multiple sources, providing a more balanced and objective approach to measuring employee performance. This leads to higher productivity, better customer service, and enhanced organizational performance.

Every published report recommends multiple as opposed to single raters for performance appraisal. – John Bernardin, Author & Expert on Performance Appraisal

When you tap into an employee's circle of influence, you will have a major impact on changing employee behavior. Additionally, employees often respect the feedback of co-workers more than their respective supervisor. A survey of Coca-Cola Foundation employees indicates that over 90% of employees prefer evaluations that include both co-worker and supervisor. Only 4% of employees chose to have their performance evaluations performed by the supervisor only.

Surveys are often used for collecting the feedback used to evaluate the employee. It is very important to keep surveys short and to the point. A few open comment questions can be included. However, you need an objective way of scoring the surveys. It is also important to maintain anonymity; i.e. receivers of the surveys should not know who provided the information. Likewise, the information received must be controlled so that confidentiality is maintained.
Example of Survey Questions for Evaluating Employee Performance :

Assign a score of 1 to 10 for each of the following questions. 1 is the lowest score (strongly disagree) and 10 is the highest score (strongly agree). N for Don't Know

1. Performs day to day activities in a timely and accurate manner. ____
2. Communicates effectively, both orally and in writing ____
3. Demonstrates initiative for solving problems ____
4. Directs and leads others in a positive way ____
5. Coordinates and manages time, people and other resources well ____

As with any new approach to managing people, the 360-degree approach requires careful planning. For example, training is a must since employees will be apprehensive about how this new evaluation approach will work. Training should address fundamental questions, such as what is the 360 approach, why is the organization adopting it, who will be doing the evaluations, how will the information be collected, etc.