360 On The Net: a computer toolkit for multirater performance feedback - includes related article on new human resource management softwares - Software Review - Evaluation

HR Magazine, Oct, 1998 by Gary Meyer

Most employees accomplish their duties through day-to-day interaction within a familiar circle of colleagues extending across several organizational levels. The systematic collection of several individuals' perceptions about a person's job performance can generate reliable, experience-based feedback, which can dramatically augment the assessment of an employee's supervisor. With 360 On The Net from Nardoni Associates, HR departments can have both a practical model and supporting technology for implementing 360-degree evaluations.

Nardoni's computer-based assessment package illustrates how technology can provide relief from the tasks associated with collecting and compiling all the needed data-in fact, enabling virtually paperless administration. The program offers a single-source solution for implementing the 360-feedback approach to employee reviews and requires no technological resources beyond those most companies already have.

WHAT IT DOES

Users can access 360 On The Net either through the Internet or a company intranet. The program provides a way to capture feedback from the employee, his or her boss, peers, subordinates and in-house clients, using data collected via online assessment forms. The system also consolidates the various evaluations into a comprehensive individualized feedback report, replete with scattergrams, gap analysis and other data-interpreting charts and graphs.

The program has considerable flexibility in design of the online forms filled out by different raters. Forms are essentially in the traditional questionnaire format used in countless surveys, except that responses are recorded by mouseclick, rather than pen or pencil. Using either the vender-supplied assessment forms or their own, customers can create or adapt questionnaires to cover competencies such as teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, customer satisfaction, results attainment or any other performance area that can be realistically assessed. Items can be weighted to reflect their relative importance. For example, the item, "Delivers results that meet or exceed quality standards within expected time frames," could be set up so that raters indicate both a level of importance for that job behavior and a ranking of the individual's performance. Blanks can be included for free-form comments.

Using the web site, an employee can automatically request assessments from desired raters (typically preapproved by the individual's manager). The system requires the various raters' e-mail addresses and names in order to automatically transmit the assessment requests to them. These assessors are to be selected on the basis of firsthand knowledge of the employee's performance and their ability to quantitatively and intelligently grade that behavior in the various competency categories appearing on the form. After the system receives all the assessments and wraps up the data-crunching, it produces individual assessment profiles.

WHAT I LIKE

For the individual employee, 360 On The Net provides invaluable information that is more apt to be thoughtfully considered because it comes from many valid sources. For example, when a feedback report reveals that an array of people, in addition to the boss, share the perception that a person does not plan effectively, the odds are probably higher that the individual will truly accept the criticism and work toward improving competency in that area.

By helping individuals achieve rich feedback, this computer system can benefit the entire organization. Receptive people will be inclined to use the information to guide their developmental planning and pursue the changes needed to become better contributors. Similarly, the system furnishes excellent material to assess teams, departments or other definable work groups and guide their progress toward goals related to customer satisfaction, quality control, cooperation with other departments and so forth. The company again is the beneficiary.

The personal feedback reports are extremely comprehensive, showing for example where the individual's perceptions most differ from those of the boss, peers and subordinates; the average ranking by each category of raters on every assessment item; and specific competency areas of high importance where the performance received both low and high ratings by different people. Graphs and narrative contribute not only to quick understanding of the contents, but also to a thorough, professional look. The reports based on companywide data can reveal patterns or areas throughout the organization to help HR in designing and targeting training and development initiatives.

This system empowers employees by allowing them to provide insights about colleagues in a structured, legitimate manner. For example, their input can actually influence pay increase and promotion decisions in companies using 360-feedback results to consider such actions. (A vendor representative said some current customers actually defer annual salary increases until 360 assessments are finalized because they are regarded as such a key part of the process.)