360-Degree Feedback
Employee assessment is a delicate, high-stakes science. In some work environments(call centers, factories, production) defined metrics can provide a snapshot of employee performance over a period of time. However, in most cases the numbers alone do not tell the story. 360-degree feedback has become more popular in recent decades for assessing employees. According to businessdictionary.com, “360-degree feedback” is
Performance-appraisal data collected from ‘all around’ an employee- his or her peers, subordinates, supervisors, and sometimes, from internal and external customers.
So this provides a comprehensive portrait of an employee, which is great. Of course, there are drawbacks- this assessment method is obviously vulnerable to politics and social games. Metrics are still invaluable whenever possible. That actually reminds me of a book I read a few months back: Super Crunchers. The author posited that numbers (more than human intuition) hold the key to predicting and analyzing performance of everything from stocks to employees to educational systems and sports teams. But now we’re wandering far from the original topic.
In closing: 360-degree feedback provides a comprehensive human view of an employee. It can be vulnerable to politics and scheming, and should be used in conjunction with metrics wherever possible.
Now you know!
