A different approach to using performance feedback

How often do you receive feedback on your performance? For many, it’s like waiting for a bus – nothing for ages and then it all comes at once. You might receive it just once or twice a year during a performance appraisal or perhaps, if you’re really lucky, monthly or weekly during a team briefing.  In many organisations feedback is still associated with a formal appraisal process or annual event.  In fact, feedback given outside of these times might even go unnoticed because it’s not considered “formal”.

Ideally, feedback should form part of a coaching process which gives direction and guidance on how to improve personal performance. It’s normally considered the manager’s job to give it. There are obvious problems associated with this; if feedback is only given periodically it can be out of date and irrelevant. If it’s mainly given by the manager it can be unknowingly biased or inaccurate. It’s true that the trend towards 360 degree feedback has helped to balance out any discrepancies by creating an opportunity for individuals to receive feedback from peers, colleagues and even external sources.  However, 360 feedback is often linked to an annual performance review and therefore can also be out of date and inaccurate. Colleagues can be scratching around for something to say for the sake of it. Unless continuous notes have been made throughout the year, often only the most recent events come to mind.

So how can personal feedback be given more effectively and not used as just part of the performance review?  How about turning it round and creating a different working culture where employees are primarily responsible for getting their own feedback, not annually but daily in real-time. Why not make giving feedback more personal, interactive, timely and focused … rather than just an activity which take place during the formal review process?

For this to work, employees will need to adopt a common belief that it’s everyone’s responsibility to continually share and seek out helpful information. Employees need to feel empowered to comment on their colleagues’ performance … constructively, not critically. And, they should understand that it’s not only the manager’s responsibility to give feedback.

Feedback given to an employee by their superior on their strengths and weaknesses gives a top down message that employees should not seek out their own feedback.  But, surely the receiver of the feedback will be more responsive to criticism or praise if they’ve initiated the request for feedback and surely it’s easier to give constructive feedback if it’s been asked for?

Generation Y are communicating constantly and expect instant answers.  When it comes to finding out how they’re doing at work, will they be content to sit back and wait for formal feedback to be given in a periodic review?  Unlikely …. Requesting and giving feedback daily and continuously is already part of their busy social networking life!

So when re-thinking your appraisal process, consider feedback as a separate process. Of course, making this possible requires a ‘platform’ – I’ll be talking more about social performance management platforms during the next few weeks.

360 Degree Feedback - Which supplier?

Firstly, some general thoughts about using 360 degree feedback.

A 360 degree feedback system captures feedback about an individual from a range of people including his or her line manager, colleagues and direct reports.  It’s a useful way of evaluating performance, but it’s not necessarily the best way.

It does provide a confidential and anonymous platform through which employees can communicate honestly and without reserve. If introduced professionally, 360 degree appraisals tend to have a high level of employee acceptance and involvement; they’re acknowledged to be more objective than a standard 180 process. By helping peers to understand each others' work and by airing grievances in a non-threatening manner, 360 feedback can improve communication within the organisation. This ultimately leads to improved teamwork and higher performance.

However, if not introduced professionally, employees may feel threatened by a 360 process. Ideally, employees should know that the 360 data will not be used for setting pay levels, bonuses or be linked in any way to disciplinary action. 360 isn’t enough on its own – it should be an enhancement to a more comprehensive performance management process which includes objective setting and learning and development. Respondents may focus naturally on weaknesses and ignore strengths. This may leave employees discouraged or de-motivated as a result. It can be time consuming and labour-intensive to implement if not tailored to needs to beforehand.

So having considered the pros and cons, you’ve decided to implement a 360 degree feedback system. How do you find the right supplier?

There’s now a vast array of software companies who offer 360 survey tools; they all profess to offer a secure web based platform, fully automated service, and a customizable platform which allows you to use your own questions, customize your reports and brand the whole process to your own organisation. But is this enough?

With so much competition you should also look for; a transparent pricing structure; ensure there are no hidden costs involved. Ask for a free trial and then do a dummy run using one of your own employees. During this time, assess the platform’s interface, its user friendliness and the whole journey which your employees will take. Look for a supplier who can offer free telephone help, questionnaire development guides and has an extensive questionnaire template database. Lastly, check out their client list. Have they worked for other organisations of a similar size and in the same area of business as you?