Prerequisites for Participation in 360 Degree Feedback

 

The 360-Degree feedback systems can be a very sensitive issue. A person not well prepared for it could be thrown out of balance. It can also create some new issues in an organization. If not designed and conducted well, it has the potential danger of the candidate developing wrong perceptions or notions about one or more of his assessors and developing new attitudes towards them. It is therefore necessary and important to mange the process well and make it foolproof.  The first important step is to determine if the organization is ready for it. The second important step is to determine if the candidate is ready for it. The following are the indicators of an organization's readiness for MAFS:

v      The top management of the organization is committed to develop the competencies of employees on a continuous basis.

v      There are a number of HRD systems operating in the organization and they are being taken seriously in implementation.

v      The top management is serious about creating opportunities for employees to learn from each other and learn from their mistakes and is willing to invest their time and effort in giving feedback to their own subordinates.

v      The top management and senior managers take the current appraisal system seriously and do all that they are required to ensure its effective implementation.

v      The top management and senior managers conduct their performance review and counseling sessions regularly and are committed adequately to competency building through multi-rater feedback.

v      The top management is willing to be assessed by their subordinates and colleagues not suffering with too many status barriers and ego-problems in the organization.

v      People take feedback supportively and use it for development without politics in the organization.

v      There is a high degree of systems orientation being attempted by the organization and the organization already is in the process of becoming a customer driven organization.

v      There is a good degree of teamwork being emphasized in the organization and the HRD department has a high level of credibility.

v      The employees do not look at top management interventions with suspicion and the managers are interested in learning about themselves.

The organization indicates its readiness for MAFS when it has a high degree of process orientation. The softer issues of management like managing people, professionalism, development etc. are emphasized in the organization. Moreover the managers take their jobs seriously and learn with a high degree of emphasis on competency building. MAFS proves to be successful when the organization has a history of taking all change management tools seriously and implementing them till the end. The people in the organization should take feedback seriously and try to benefit from the same.

The following are the indicators of the readiness of a candidate for the MAFS.

v      The candidate is desirous of knowing himself through the eyes of others. He is willing to receive feedback from others and does not become over-defensive.

v      The candidate desires to be better.

v      The candidates are open to and known to respect the views of others.

v      The candidate is a learning oriented individual.

v      The candidate has an attitude for healthy competition.

v      The candidate has at least one and a half years of experience (except in the case of management trainees)

v      He has direct working relations at least six individuals who can rate him.

v      The candidate has no history of any previous psychological or psychiatric problems.