There are few human resource professionals who haven’t wondered about the best practices in performance evaluation. How often should it be done? What design to use? What is the purpose of it?
Beyond the administrative measures that are commonly linked to performance evaluation (wage increases, performance bonuses, etc.), the reasoning indirectly intends to rethink the processes and the methods that will allow the employees of our organization to receive continuous feedback on their behaviors within their occupation.
Did you ever think about the multi-sources 360-degree performance evaluation to support the performance of your people and encourage a discussion? Recently I observed that some organizations preferred the “collaborative feedback “ term to talk about their 360 degree evaluation and I admit I have adopted this concept.
Whether it is for the employees who have a real desire to develop themselves, for those who wish to progress within the organization or simply to ensure a better preparation for the next generation who will fill up more complex functions, the goal of the collaborative feedback is to allow the person being assessed to reduce his/her blind area and to improve the awareness of his/her capabilities in the perspective to develop his/her skills.
“The power of multisource evaluation as a measurement tool (…) is linked to its ability to account of the complexity of individual performance in the organization and the earning in fidelity and validity generated by the multiple sources.” (Brutus and Brassard, 2005)
From a strategic point of view, the power of this form of evaluation lies in its capacity to communicate new skills, not only to the ones who are assessed, but also to all the assessors. As Brutus and Brassard (2005) mention, “the process acts as a vast information campaign so that the new skills are considered by all as important to the organization”. Collaborative feedback also enables the company to “convey a powerful message to its employees about its openness and its real need for the participation of everyone in the success of the organization”.
What are your strengths in your collectivity? Where are the gaps between what I think I do and what employees think I do? What is my area of vigilance considering the average of my reference group? What information can we infer about by leadership style and the organization climate of my group?
Briefly, because work performance is complex and composed of multiple behaviors that are increasingly subtle and difficult to identify on a day-to-day basis, the contribution of different evaluation sources can definitely make a strategic input to the functioning of your organization.
Before, we could’ve said that 360 degree assessment was an expensive HR practice to implement and to manage. However, the technological tools and the experts available today should encourage the human resource department to no longer be afraid to propose such an exercise within the organization. The witch hunts are done : the exercise is not collaborative.
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