Are your Quality and Compliance consultants doing a good job? To some, this question may sound simple. Operationally, your quality team may be performing to standard. However, many quality leaders struggle with performance evaluations when it comes to sitting down with one individual to discuss his or her performance.
That’s where the 360-degree talent assessment comes in. Taking into account various perspectives by collecting anonymous feedback from peers, subordinates, supervisors, and third parties, 360 degree feedback reviews have become a popular tool to help address the performance question without relying solely on the manager’s top-down, personal opinion.
If you want to try 360-degree assessment for your quality employees, here are 7 keys to consider:
1. Define Clear Implications of the Performance Review.
What are you going to do with the feedback provided? Will the feedback be used to determine bonuses or merit increases? Will it be used to support promotions or modify responsibilities? Will it be used as a way to improve performance, assess bench strength, or develop longer-term continuity plans? Answering these questions before launching the assessment will help you develop a focused and objective review system.
2. Determine Your 360 Degree Feedback Format
The logistics involved in collecting feedback from multiple sources can be a feat in itself. Before launching your review effort, think about the method that would solicit the most honest and timely responses from your team. If you’re in a small office, printed forms may suffice. If you’re managing a remote team, or a team that’s constantly on the move, consider an online survey tool. There are many off-the-shelf 360 degree feedback tools that make information gathering quick and easy. Finally, if you don’t require anonymity in your process, verbal discussions with evaluators prove beneficial, giving you an opportunity to clarify responses and obtain more details while helping to avoid misunderstandings.
3. Consider if the Performance Feedback Should be Anonymous
The benefit of anonymity is the ability to minimize, though not necessarily eliminate, the fear of retaliation and therefore promotes more transparency. The negative… it can make it more difficult to fully understand and resolve an issue without knowing the individuals involved.
Pro Tip: Even with an anonymous review process, some of your more skeptical employees may not trust that the process is truly anonymous. You will need to constantly reassure them.
4. Assign the Appropriate Evaluators
The purpose of the 360-degree assessment is to obtain varying perspectives… but whose perspectives? Engage peers within your own Quality department while also seeking input from other departments that your employees may interact with. Gather input from departments such as R&D, Legal, and Finance. When appropriate, bring in customers, vendors, and other third parties. There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to the exact assembly of contributors, as it likely depends on your company’s culture, team dynamics, and specific relationships with external partners.
5. Extend the Assessment to External Team
When conducting performance evaluations, evaluate your external team and have them participate in the evaluation of your internal employees. Outsourced resources can be important contributors to the success of your department, and understanding their strengths and weaknesses is vital. This also can be an effective way to get an “outsider’s” perspective.
Pro Tip: Collaborate with your ing firm to determine the most effective way to do this.
6. Balance the Required Time Commitment with Quality of the Exercise
People are busy and have more than enough on their plates with their day-to-day responsibilities. Taking too much of their time in the evaluation process can be counter-productive. You’ll find that providing the evaluators with a few key and well-thought-out questions for each employee will be greatly appreciated. If you are holding in-person interviews or phone calls, try to limit these conversations to know more than 10 minutes. You can often get everything you need in the first sixty seconds.
7. Communication is Crucial
Ensure that all instructions and timelines for the evaluation process are clear and distributed as early as possible. A brief training session for all employees can help prevent misunderstandings and inefficiency down the road.
Pro Tip: Generate internal buy in. Your employees need to know not only what a 360-degree assessment entails, but also why this approach makes sense and all the ways it can benefit them.
360-degree talent assessments can be extremely valuable if conducted the right way. As a manager, it can help to confirm your own opinions. On the other hand, you may be surprised to learn that others view your employees (and you!) quite differently than you do. These types of performance reviews can also serve as a morale boost with the employee base as team members appreciate their voices being heard with respect to the performance of their bosses.
At the end of the day, your most precious assets are your people. A keen understanding of their strengths and weaknesses is critical to their growth and ultimately to the growth of your company as you continue to grow a positive culture in the workplace.
Interested in learning how PRP can help you create a positive work environment for your quality assurance team? Schedule a free consultation today by clicking HERE.
