INTRODUCTION

The 360-degree appraisal is a system in which individuals evaluate themselves and receive feedback from other employees and organizational members. Normally the evaluation of the appraisee is done by the appraiser the peer and the subordinate where the appraiser is the manager. There are three variants of this system! annual upward full 360 degree.

The author contends that many companies may be rushing into implementing this new mode of appraisal without considering a full scope of desired outcomes then building systems that support those results. "ossible outcomes include not only improvement in work behaviors but also greater self-awareness ongoing dialogue between workers and managers and management learning. #or effective 360 degree the organization has to define specific desired outcomes develop specific processes to attain these outcomes which are described as visionary. These $utcomes could either be short term - improvement in work behaviours improvement in individual performance - or long term% increase in the amount of informal &feedback seeking' among employees and e(pand management)s capacity to learn how to lead and manage employees.

*asing the author)s discussion on field research at + companies implementing 360degree appraisals the author outlines an entire system ,inputs processes and outcomes- - . practitioner)s model which re/uires that organizations must support the processes in order to get desired outcomes - and provides advice on how each component of the system can be designed to support the desired results.

THE PRACTITIONERS MODEL 0n order to implement an 1##12T031 360 degrees appraisal the author outlines an entire system which he calls the practitioner model - inputs processes and outcomes. These components of the system will be discussed below! Input "urpose4ob5ective % development and evaluation of appraisee .ppraisal instrument % specific and relevant #eedback % written and descriptive 6ubordinate appraiser % anonymity and accountability "eer appraiser o ob5ectivity Training of appraisers Training of appraises Training of coaches 6ummary reports of results o 2larity in presentation 6electing internal customers and 5ointly select peer appraiser

Process .ppraise receives results .ppraise does a self-appraisal .ppraise reacts to feedback .ppraise is coached for improvement Targeting Tentative improvement areas 7eveloping action plans 8eporting summary results back to appraisers 6etting specific improvement goals and action plans 9ini-appraisals and follow-up on action plans 8ecognition for improvements .ccountability for performance improvements

Outcomes 0ncreased awareness of appraisee)s e(pectations

0mproved work behavior of appraisee 8educe the undiscussables through candid communication 0ncrease in performance reviews 0ncrease management learning

LEARNING OUTCOMES There are several benefits associated with utilizing 360-degree feedback within an organizational environment. :hen used effectively ;urley ,<00=- found that 360degree feedback can increase communication foster employee development and increase productivity and efficiency on a team. >et)s e(amine these three benefits of 360-degree feedback in an organization!

Frequent an Transparent Commun!cat!on $rganizations who utilize 360-degree feedback can increase the level and /uality of communication within it especially in teams leading to increased team performance. 8esearch has found that both formal and informal communication often increases after

the implementation of 360-degree feedback and an increase in two-way communication can be seen between team members ,>ondon ? *eatty @AA3-. .s feedback results are delivered and discussed among team members communication is shown to become more fre/uent and more transparent ,.ntonioni @AA6-. "articipants report that issues that previously may have been difficult to discuss become easier to address because of open communication channels and removal of the fear of retaliation ,"eiperl <00@-. .s employees continue to seek out feedback from each other and their superiors they increase trust with each other and are more likely to achieve performance goals ,9amatoglu <00=-.

Increase Se"#$A%areness Bsing 360-degree feedback within an organization can lead to an increase in selfawareness among employees as individuals consider assessments of their own performance compared with othersC assessment of their performance. 6elf-awareness can also contribute to increased communication and transparency among superiors subordinates colleagues and management enabling the organization as a whole to perform at a higher level. . self-awareness of individual strengths and weaknesses leads to improvements in work behavior and performance which in turn contribute to greater overall organizational performance ,.ntonioni @AA6-. 1ven the process of completing the 360-degree feedback allows raters the opportunity to reflect on their own behavior and determine whether they may need to improve their own performance to better align with e(pectations ,7ominick et. al. @AAD-.

C"earer Un erstan !n& o# Goa"s an E'pectat!ons 1ffective 360-degree feedback should focus on behaviors that align to organizational values and ob5ectives. The process of completing 360-degree feedback provides raters with greater insight and understanding into the values and behaviors that are important for organizational success. 6eeing how others are being evaluated allows individuals to formulate their own e(pectations around goals for performance and behaviors ,7ominick et. al. @AAD-. :hen 360-degree feedback is combined with setting specific performance goals that relate to developmental areas identified in the feedback even greater changes in behavior are e(pected ,7ominick et. al. @AAD-. 6econd >ocke and >atham even ventured so far as to say that introducing a formal feedback system into a group may motivate individuals to set their own performance goals without e(plicitly being instructed to so do. ,7ominick @AAD-. 0t is important that it

Conc"us!ons For an effective 360 appraisal process outcomes must be specifically defined and processes must be specifically defined and supported by the organization.