Introduction
The present case study illustrates the importance of 360 degrees feedback in the assessment of the performance of employees and the utilization of the feedback to take organizational decisions and leadership development. In the case study the 360 degree feedback of Alex Sander that was provided by his colleagues, superiors and customers has been discussed. Sam Glass initiates the feedback with Alex as he is his supervisor and needs to ensure the development of Alex in the organization. The case study demonstrates the power of communication in leadership so as to influence the decisions of the followers.
360 Degrees Feedback
The traditional performance management systems involved an analysis of the performance of employees on the basis of pre-determined parameters by the supervisors and the supervisors assessed the performance of the employees and gave them feedback. In these systems, the performance of the employees was assessed on the basis of the feedback provided by a single person that was the supervisor. However, as individuals progress to higher levels in the organization their decisions have a profound impact on the activities of many other individuals in the organization. Therefore there is a need to assess the performance of the employee on the basis of feedback from various individuals that may include the clients, supervisors, colleagues and other related individuals.
A 360 degrees feedback is basically designed to improve the performance of the employees on the basis of the feedback received from various sources so as to ensure an all-round development of the leader for various parameters. It is important that the employees that are due to be promoted at higher levels in the organization have a fair idea about what opinion others have about them within the organization and outside. Ideally, employees should take the 360 degree feedback results seriously and identify and work on the weak areas as visible in the feedback.
In the present case study, the supervisor of Alex, Sam has recently implemented 360 degrees performance evaluation system at the organization. However, Alex (the employee whose feedback is being evaluated for a performance review) does not have a belief in the efficacy of the 360 degrees feedback mechanism and considers it a wastage of time. Such a negative attitude of an employee towards the performance feedback mechanism is a potential barrier towards the derivation of benefits from the feedback exercise. If Alex would be willing to analyze the feedback provided by the various groups, he would be able to cover the gaps in his performance. The challenge for Sam as a leader is to influence the decision of Alex and to make Alex realize the importance of such systems and implement the changes in leadership style so as to cover performance gaps.
Communication in Leadership
Effective leadership involves an efficient communication method so as to convey important information in a simple form to the followers. The communication between leader and the follower can be in the form of a telephone call, a face to face interaction, an email or a formal report. Leaders need to be communication champions so as to send their messages effectively to their followers and influence the decisions of the followers. Leaders can use various techniques of persuasion to influence the behavior of the sub-ordinates and get the desired outcomes.
In the present case scenario, Sam as a leader used the technique of persuasion in communication so as to change the mind-set of Alex to a certain extent through verbal communication to make him consider the importance of the 360 degree feedback forms so as to appraise him with the future leadership role within the organization and allow him to improve his performance in the future.
In the present case scenario, Sam uses the power of direct communication that allowed him to exert a powerful influence on the decisions of Alex. In a face to face communication, there is more room for exchange of ideas and there are lesser confusions and misunderstandings. Sam displayed the characteristics of an efficient communicator as he communicated about the strategic decisions regarding the organization with Alex and was a patient listener to Alex. Sam’s skill of listening carefully and patiently to Alex instilled a sense of confidence and trust in the mind of Alex and also provided room for Sam to understand the thinking process and ideas of Alex. The interactions between Alex and Sam were a great opportunity to change the orientation of Alex about the 360 degrees performance feedback systems.
Conclusion
Leaders need to be efficient communicators in order to be effective leaders. Leaders employ various techniques of communication to exchange ideas and information with their followers. Leaders may use different techniques of persuasion to influence the decisions of the followers and change the mindset of the followers. The present case study demonstrates how an effective leader employed the method of face to face interaction to influence the mind set of follower on the new performance management system.
