11 human processes in 360 degree appraisals

8/9/2019 11 Human Processes in 360 Degree Appraisals

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IMI Review, Yo19, Mo2. MumbaiMarch 1998.

HRD

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~. /h.,. ~Ct /~Cf~eh~DR. ANEETA MADHOK

Changing HRD Paradigms

Qe thing that cannot beenied is that the rules

of the game have

changed for most of us. We un-derstand that new performanceparadigms are now the order ofthe day. Common usage of termslike Performance Management,.

Competence Based Pay, Ac-countability of managers, all goto highlight the fact that nolonger does the old order workanymore. (Ifby any chance your

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Table I: Changing HRD ParadigmsHierarchy-based Systems DIMENSIONS Networked SystemsFormal, rigid, bureaucratic WORK CULTURE Open, flexible, transparentPower and authority based POWER & AUTHORITY Power and authority basedon position in hierarchy on personal strengthsResources to be utilised EMPLOYEES Human capital to be investedinAdministrative and LEADERSHIP InspiratiOI1al andfunctional excellence is motivational skills area critical skil l criticalFunctional STRUCTURES Flat, decentralised,departmentalisation networkedCommand and control PROCESSES Team worK and

participationBased on position in PAY Based on demonstratedhierarchy, seniority and competence thru objectivemerit. work measurementPersonality traits plus work WORK MEASUREMENT Personality traits, workobjectives assessed objectives, plus feedback

from customers,subordinates and signif icantothers is assessed


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HRDorganisation still works on theold system of hierarchy, senior-ity,take a good look and see howyou need to change the waysyou work),Todays organisations are morenetworked, or at least trying tobe. They look upon employees asmembers of the larger work sys-tem and not just a pair of handsor resources to be utilised. Someof the differences in work cul-tures, performance paradig~s,human resources are outlined inthe table given on pg 32.In the analysis, the attempt of allHRD work is to move the organi-sation away from the old hierar-chical paradigm towards the net-worked paradigm that is morefunctional and organic in nature.This is the essence of the "learn-ing organisation".A CaveatGiven the realities of thesechanging paradigms, the HRDmanager needs to relook at theway the various subsystemswithin the HRD function sup-port and sustain the newer para-digms of performance that areemerging. It is common trap forany HRD manager to make sys-tems superior to the spirit ofHRD. This often results in sys-tems that are implemented in aritualistic manner without any ofthe passion and spirit that is themost critical ingredient for it tosucceed. There is a very live dan-ger of the system becoming om-nipotent and any organisationwhose culture is wholly createdaround HRD sub-systems, will

not be in a position to experiencethe kind of organic growth thatis so crucial to its renewal andrevival. There have'been manyAppraisal systems, OrganisationDevelopment Interventions,TQM efforts, Career planningsystems and many other ini-tiatives of HRD that have failedsimply because they have notbeen able to take the peoplealong with them. Blame for suchfailures usually falls on 'others'who did not go along with HRD,but HRD managers rarely seethe fact that they are also part ofthe problem, which is com-pounded by the fact that theyoften see 'systems' as 'solutions'.Appraisal ApprehensionsAppraisals are something every-body is apprehensive about.Bosses know that, it is that timeof the year when they will haveto reluctantly undertake the taskof evaluating their subordinatesand reviewing their perform-ance, and in many cases, also thejob of giving feedback to thesubordinates on how they havecome along during the reviewperiods. Bosses are concernedabout these things because theyhave an inherent need to be seenas positive and be liked by theirsubordinates. The subordinates,on the other hand, generally dis-like appraisals because they feelthat they have to justify theirsalaries, they will be evaluatedand judged by others, they willhave to face the review sessionwhere they get feedback fromtheir bosses.Appraisal time is that time of the

year when the HRD manageralso goes through many ques-tions about whether the systemsthat he has designed and imple-mented really help in meetingthe organisational objectives. Healso faces the uphill task of im-plementing the system withinthe time frames allocated, and atthe same time, keeping the gen-eral spirit of the work culturealive. This is compounded by thefact that Appraisals are also in-dicators of performances, andtherefore are linked to the re-wards systems within the over-all compensation framework ofHRD. He is often caught be-tween the deadlines of the sys-tem implementation and theneed and creation of more in-volvement of all the work forceconcerned. By and large, it isstressful time for all members ofthe organisation.Role of the HRD ManagerWithin the overall flux created bythese pushes and pulls, it is criti-cal for the HRD manager to workas an anchor of all the processesthat take place around appraisaltime. There is therefore a realneed for the HRD manager tolook within and examine forhimself the basic foundation ofassumptions and premises thatgovern his initiatives. If there isan internal dissonance in theconvictions with which this sys-tem is introduced, chances arethat the anchoring processes ofthis new initiative will be weakand inconsistent. This will thenresult in the new initiative beingsubject to the vagaries of the con-text and the forces of decay will

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HRD

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reign supreme even as the newsteps are first taken. Thus inter-nal questions about the convic-tions with which the system isintroduced in the organisations,need to be deeply e~bedded inthe culture of the organisation asa prerequisite to such initiatives.It is the role of the HRD Man-ager to lay the basic foundationsof this trust and opennesss in theworking culture of the organisa-tion.Simple successes of 360Degree FeedbackFirst of all, 360 Degree Feedbackis the one mirror image con-sisting of realistic perceptions ofthose persons who matter themost. The average managerspends most of his time withpeople who are subordinate tohim, and only a fraction of thetime with his bosses. Ultimately,the reality is not hidden fromteam members, subordinates aswell as outsiders whose opinionsare the most relevant. The 360degree feedback is one way ofpromoting the spirit of internalcustomer service which is socritical to building learning or-ganisations. When an individualreceives the honest perceptionsof those he relates to, he is morein a position to confront his mis-takes and chart meaningfulcourses for change and growth.This in turn would build moreinternal linkages within the or-ganisation and contribute to theoverall fostering of learning andgrowing.With the increasing openness,there will be less entrenchment

of the powerful elements in thenetwork, resulting in quicker re-sponses to changes in the envi-ronment and economy. This iscertainly a competitive edge thatno one can deny advantages of.One of the changing values inour society is the need for hier-archy and its effects. The hierar-chical barriers are fast gettingeroded. People are now treatedas equals in a structure that isgetting flatter and flatter, withcommunications systems thatsupport diminishing differen-tials of status. Building organi-sations that are truly networkedand vibrant needs support struc-tures of the kind of 360 degreefeedback mechanisms.Discovery of scope for improve-ment is the only way for devel-oping the capability of the or-ganisation. Lets face it, in orderto improve, there are two thingswe can do. The first is to look atour strengths and enhance them,and the other is to look at ourshortcomings and overcomethem. In the first case, the scopefor dramatic and noticeablegrowth is limited, whereas, if welook at our shortcomings, 360Degree feedback is one way ofmaking quantum jumps in per-formance and excellence.Some Pitfalls To Watch For1. The "pecking order"which determine the rela-

tive social standing of theindividual members com-prising the group. In thecontext of organisations,there was a legitimate

heierarchy which sup-ported the pecking order,and gave authority and le-gal sanction to exercisng ofinfluence over others inthe process of accomplish-ing tasks of the organisa-tion. With the advent of thenetworked organisationalparadigm, the legitimateuse of power and author-ity of position has weak-ened. Thus, the managerwhose subordinates havethe authority to undertakehis appraisal, would feelan erosion of his influenc-ing power in the organisa-tion. This makes it impera-tive for the organisation tobe prepared for the kind ofopenness that it would. en-sure that the organisationdoes not get policitised inthe absence of legitimatehierarchical boundaries ofpower and authority.

2. Another, simple pitfall is tomistake the fact that sub-ordinates have an accurateperception of the boss. Inmany cases, the subordi-nates do not really knowthe boss as well as the sys-tem presupposes. This isso because, the nature ofthe working relationshipcalls for drawing of appro-priate and balancedboundaries between bossand subordinates. Thusthe subordinate gets asmall keyhole view of theboss, often with his ownprejudices against author-ity figures, which may notbe complete. It would be


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easy to fall into the trap ofbelieving that the feedbackis all that there is to it. Justlike the five blind men andthe elephant.

3. Ultimately, the purpose ofmanagemen t is "gettingthings done". This defini-tion automatically resultsin a bifurcation of peopleinto those that get thingsdone and those that dothings, thus naturallyresulting in some form ofhierarchy, howeverrudimentary. It also givesrise to drawing of appro-priate boundaries of be-haviour that would deter-mine the optimum level ofopenness in organisationsespecially between thesetwo classes. The ideal de-gree of openness is differ-ent for different organisa-tions and is dependentupon many factors. Thedesign of 360 Degree ap-praisals should take intoconsideration the appro-priate levels of opennessthat would work for theorganisation. The pitfallhere could be that this deli-cate balance may not beachieved, and a "free forall" might result, thereby

affecting the achievementorientation of the group.

Preparing The GroundIt is imperative that the groundbe prepared for introduction ofsuch inititatives on the part ofthe HRD department. Such apreparation would include incul-cating a culture of openness, re-ceptivity to the ideas and to feed-back in general, a direct linkagewith business missions and cor-porate values, visible support ofthe top management which isready to "walk the talk" and liveby example.The HRD manager also needs towork with himself and his rolein the organisation's growth ef-forts. He needs to believe in thesystem, and advocate it at all lev-els in the organisation, he has toplaya supporting role to linemanagers, he even has to playGod at times. He must not po-liticise the situation, while retain-ing his political agility, and mostof all, he must never get caughtin the crossfire between boss andsubordinate, but must retain hisoutsiderness.Line managers need to changetheir mindsets, be proactive andnot defensive, and most of all

they must become receptive tofeedback.If these conditions are not met,it is probably better not to intro-duce such a system, and to livewithout it rather than to begin inan unprepared manner.The Final Word360 Degree appraisal systemshave been very successfullyimplemented in several Indianorganisations, like Aptech Lim-ited, Blue Dart, Citibank, GodrejGE Appliances, and many oth-ers. The issues presented in thisarticle are the result of the au-thor's discussion with HRDmanagers and line managersfrom such organisations, as wellas with HRD managers who be-lieve that this kind of a systemwill not work well in their cul-tures. In a nutshell, 360 Degreeinitiatives need to be imple-mented with care and caution,and it must be remembered thatsuch systems are not a universalcure-all for organisational dis-eases arising out ofbureaucratism, hierarchy, au-thority and the "pecking order".

- ""(Dr. Aneeta Madhok is afaculty-HR & OD, Narsee Monjee In-stitute of Management Studies,Mumbai). --~"At my office we're not just coworkers,

we're like family. A very dysfunctional family"

Courtesy: Glasbergen

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11 human processes in 360 degree appraisals

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