Are you the king of the jungle? A 360-degree appraisal will tell you

Lawyers are competitive beasts. We want to know how we are performing and whether we are kings of the jungle. But how can we find out? One way to find out is to ask the people with whom you work. You can do this by undertaking a 360-degree appraisal.

A 360-degree appraisal is a management tool used by many businesses to improve self awareness, collaboration and team working within their organisation. 360-degree feedback is important in creating a focused, high performing and successful business. It is a performance management system in which you are rated on your performance by people who know something about your work. These people can include direct reports, peers and staff – anyone who is credible to you and is familiar with your work.

The feedback reports are shared with both you and your line manager. Based on the feedback, personal development plans are created to enable improved personal, team and organisational performance.

Gathering feedback from colleagues has many advantages. In addition to receiving valuable feedback from your line manager, it is also extremely valuable for you to know what peers and employees think. Receiving 360-degree feedback is more comprehensive and less prone to individual bias, since there are multiple perspectives. For example, a manager who may have thought that his boss was just being picky about his communication skills will begin to take it seriously when everyone around him is also suggesting that he needs improvement in that area.

Feedback from multiple perspectives also addresses appraisees’ increasing concerns that their performance is being assessed by one person. That one person may or may not have all the information needed to make a constructive and fair evaluation of performance. This can put appraisers under pressure and create resentment and mistrust.

A 360-degree appraisal can be seen as fairer, more comprehensive and more transparent. Some skills are actually better judged by peers and employees than by one individual. Wider involvement also helps to engender a more honest firm, promote a more open culture and could be a powerful trigger for change.

Using this system provides people with the opportunity to contribute to the development of one another. It gives leaders clear feedback from their peers, employees and managers on what they are perceived to be doing well and areas in which they could improve. It provides multiple perspectives on development needs from those whose work is most affected by an individual’s behaviour. It can prompt real and measurable change in behaviour. Feedback from one source is easy to rationalise away, but consistent, honest feedback from a range of sources tends to hit home.

The feedback takes the form of a confidential questionnaire that requires people to rate the extent to which they believe you meet certain criteria. A number of people complete a questionnaire rating your performance against a target. The results are then fed back to you. This process encourages you to value and respect the insights of key internal and external contacts. It will inform your personal development plans.

In reality, the exercise may simply reinforce what you already know. Alternatively, it may disclose a gap between how you believe you are behaving and how others perceive your behaviour. For example, a leader may believe that he is micro-managing, when in fact his team values the fact that he is taking a detailed interest in them and their work. It will test your perception of self against reality. It will tell you if you are the king of the jungle and, if you are not, it will tell you how to earn the crown.

What do you think? Do 360-degree appraisals work?