What is video conferencing?
Video conferencing is a real time and interactive tool for companies to communicate via audio, video and computer technology across time zones and locations. Essentially, it is a live connection between people in separate locations that provides full-motion video images and high-quality audio. Meeting participants see and hear each other during the conference, and can concentrate on the images and interaction among the participants.
Video conferencing technology typically includes access to a network (ISDN and IP are the most common), conferencing equipment (monitor, camera, microphone and speakers), an audio system, and a codec (an acronym for coder/decoder). Through this device, video, audio and data signals are compressed during transmission.
Video conferencing benefits
The benefits of video conferencing are numerous. Video conferencing saves travel time and money, it urges participants to reach decisions that may not come as easily in a face-to-face meeting, and it gives participants the chance to see others' body language and facial expressions, which are important factors for a board meeting.
Video conference meetings are most successful when the participants have met before, and when they meet on a regular basis. It can also be used to deploy employee training in a lecture format that is both creative and interactive for greater learning and retention. Also, since the attendees must see the speaker, they in turn will stay focused on the speaker's presentation.
Video conferencing plays the role of helping participants communicate fully with remote participants and it gives access to participants who are limited by their physical location. This technology connects groups with their ideas, and it is beneficial for a company's bottom line, and its goals.
More Benefits
Video Conferencing Increases Productivity
Used effectively, video conferencing has a dramatic effect on the way people do business and the productivity gains they can derive. So, how are these improvements achieved? Today, video conferencing systems transcend the simple "talking heads" on a screen. The ability to easily share any type of information has added another dynamic to video communications, often previously not even possible in a local meeting. Decisions are made faster; bringing products or services to market quicker; and enabling you to stay ahead of your competitors.
Video Conferencing Saves Money
Although productivity increases are the most valuable, an additional tangible effect of using video is that you start saving substantial money due to reduced travel. In today's environment, where many employees are concerned with the safety and time-related issues with traveling, video conferencing will benefit your company in ways you would never have imagined.
Video Conferencing Saves Time
Video conferencing can be used to achieve significant benefits beyond increased productivity and reduced costs. Notable examples are reduction of "downtime" and increased "quality of life" for traveling personnel, and shortening hiring cycles for key employees. Video conferencing should also be viewed as a telephone and travel enhancement—a way to strengthen bonds with remote colleagues and customers between personal visits and telephone calls.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
360 Degree Appraisal System
360-degree appraisal – a definition:
In human resources or industrial/organizational psychology, 360-degree feedback, also known as 'multi-rater feedback', 'multisource feedback', or 'multisource assessment', is employee development feedback that comes from all around the employee.
"360ยบ" refers to the 360 degrees in a circle. The feedback would come from subordinates, peers, and managers in the organizational hierarchy, as well as self-assessment, and in some cases external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders.
It may be contrasted with upward feedback, where managers are given feedback by their direct reports, or a traditional performance appraisal, where the employees are most often reviewed only by their manager.
The results from 360-degree feedback are often used by the person receiving the feedback to plan their training and development. The results are also used by some organizations for making promotional or pay decisions, which are sometimes called "360-degree review."
Rater accuracy
A study on the patterns of rater accuracy shows that how long the rater has known the person has the most effect on the accuracy of a 360-degree review.
The study shows that subjects in the group “known for one to three years” are the most accurate, followed by “known for less than one year,” followed by “known for three to five years” and the least accurate being “known for more than five years.” The study concludes that the most accurate ratings come from knowing the person long enough to get past first impressions, but not so long as to begin to generalize favorably.
It enables leaders to:
Appraisal is a developmental process and also a tool for salary increment or at times punishment (if the appraisal is not good). It is a mechanism using which organizations strive to achieve complete development of an individual. Therefore, the organization should make sure that the appraisal process is transparent and bias free to make sure that no injustice is done.
In an organization, employees are the biggest asset and hence the 360-degree appraisal system is a widespread phenomenon and is applauded as a great development tool by many experts. 360-degree appraisals are founded on the idea that any employee’s performance is seen by many others—the manager, peers, directs reports, customers, etc.
Evaluation is done combining the feedbacks received from many people who see different parts of an employee’s performance. Also known as multi-perspective and peer-to-peer feedback, managers, supervisors and employees have found it to be effective in improving their performance.
Right culture is essential
Many organizations always speculate on when is the right time to start implementing the 360-degree appraisal system. Any time is perfect; the more important thing is doing it right the first time. If organizations have the scale and size to implement it while preserving the anonymity of the participants, it should consider the same.
“While it is true that this system serves as an excellent purpose since it reduces biases, however it may not always be successful. Hence it is necessary to create the right culture in the company before introducing the system. If many people at that time in the organization are unhappy or their morale is low the situation can backfire,”
Encourages teamwork
In today’s global world, no objective or a result is delivered individually. Any endeavor towards the achievement of a goal primarily affects and involves team work. The biggest advantage of 360-degree appraisal is that it creates accountability at all levels.
If you know that you will be evaluated by peers and subordinates, it ensures a working culture that respects and encourages team-work. If done properly, the 360-degree appraisal program can be a very positive experience for an employee. A 360-degree review provides employees with valuable feedback on their job performance and their work habits, as viewed by their managers, co-workers, and subordinates. From a management perspective, it also provides another perspective on an employee’s performance.
“Most of the times, it is the co-workers who are the first to realize that there is a performance problem with a team member, so the 360-degree evaluation can help to find that out. In addition, it provides good data about managers too. If you review their evaluations, it will point to the strengths and weaknesses as perceived by their subordinates/peers.”
“360-degree appraisals” are an effective way of understanding the operational style of the individual being appraised. It is however not a measure of the overall management style. These appraisals are meant for change, to help individuals leverage their strengths and work on their weaknesses. It also helps an organization map its training and development activities for an individual based on feedback.
“360-degree evaluations can act as an early warning for potential problems as when someone gets consistent poor rating from many people, we identify this as a case where training/hand-holding is required for the person.”
This appraisal helps team members learn to work more effectively together. Teams know more about how team members are performing than their supervisor. The feedback makes team members more accountable to each other as they share the knowledge and inputs provided on each member’s performance. A well-planned process can improve communication and team development.
But for starters, giving effective appraisals is a difficult task. The main disadvantage is misusing of such a system. If co-workers or subordinates are using this system to get back at other co-workers, it will defeat the purpose. Also, if not done in the right way, it could lead to conflict amongst team members.
Advantages and disadvantages of 360-degree appraisal
Advantages
It’s transparent and bias free
Employees get to know the perception about them from others’ point of view; this helps them know more about themselves
Employees get a ready list of improvement areas from their customers to work on
Employees get to know their good points; this helps boost their self-esteem
The exercise helps improve overall quality of the staff because each is helping the other to improve
Disadvantage
Some people may fear retaliation if they give negative feedback. This is mostly in cases where the organization does not have an open culture
The pitfalls
360-degree appraisal is a little complex process where adherence to process and record-keeping will consume a lot of time. Cost could also be one of the stumbling blocks, especially if the process is conducted through an external agency.
No doubt it reduces biases but is not free from pitfalls. Hence a 360-degree feedback program is doomed if the HR is its only champion. It needs buy-in from senior management as well. Companies should train people in giving and receiving feedback. Companies that implement 360-degree feedback without first developing good managers who can give feedback correctly, risk serious damage to teamwork and morale. Providing constructive feedback calls for instruction, training and practice.
“While training individuals to give and receive feedback may temporarily increase the expense associated with 360-degree feedback programs, the gains will outweigh the higher costs as the feedback delivered to participants becomes more focused, targeting the behaviors most closely associated with value creation and destruction. Ultimately, the goal should be to create a culture in which individuals feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback, both positive and negative, on a real-time basis, rather than waiting for an annual review.”
The right process for implementation
Create awareness about the 360-degree appraisal. Inform the people about importance of 360-degree feedback/how it will be conducted
Create survey questions
Create the technical environment to capture and report the scores
Communicate the steps to be followed for giving the responses
Close the survey on the agreed date
Collate reports and send to the recipient
Meet with employees to discuss results and plan future developments
Provide feedbacks
Conduct a survey again a year or so later, using the same model to determine the amount of change
Presenting the results of the appraisal to managers in a constructive way is critical to the success of the process. “The process of 360-degree appraisal has been used by more than 90 percent of Fortune 1000 companies for the past 10 years. It is a boon to the corporate world though it has its drawbacks. As opposed to the conventional appraisal system, wherein the immediate supervisor provides the employee with unidirectional comments, the 360-degree relies on multi-dimensional feedback.
Confidentiality is also important because it will ensure that everyone can participate in the process. Some individuals are comfortable writing their names in the comments sections, some are not. So, by making it anonymous, one can ensure maximum participation.
In human resources or industrial/organizational psychology, 360-degree feedback, also known as 'multi-rater feedback', 'multisource feedback', or 'multisource assessment', is employee development feedback that comes from all around the employee.
"360ยบ" refers to the 360 degrees in a circle. The feedback would come from subordinates, peers, and managers in the organizational hierarchy, as well as self-assessment, and in some cases external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders.
It may be contrasted with upward feedback, where managers are given feedback by their direct reports, or a traditional performance appraisal, where the employees are most often reviewed only by their manager.
The results from 360-degree feedback are often used by the person receiving the feedback to plan their training and development. The results are also used by some organizations for making promotional or pay decisions, which are sometimes called "360-degree review."
Rater accuracy
A study on the patterns of rater accuracy shows that how long the rater has known the person has the most effect on the accuracy of a 360-degree review.
The study shows that subjects in the group “known for one to three years” are the most accurate, followed by “known for less than one year,” followed by “known for three to five years” and the least accurate being “known for more than five years.” The study concludes that the most accurate ratings come from knowing the person long enough to get past first impressions, but not so long as to begin to generalize favorably.
It enables leaders to:
- Take advantage of under-utilized personnel strengths to increase productivity
- Avoid the trap of counting on skills that may be weak in the organization
- Apply human assets data to the valuation of the organization
- Make succession planning more accurate
- Design more efficient coaching and training initiatives
- Support the organization in marketing the skills of its members
Is your organization ready for 360-degree appraisal?
Appraisal is a developmental process and also a tool for salary increment or at times punishment (if the appraisal is not good). It is a mechanism using which organizations strive to achieve complete development of an individual. Therefore, the organization should make sure that the appraisal process is transparent and bias free to make sure that no injustice is done.
In an organization, employees are the biggest asset and hence the 360-degree appraisal system is a widespread phenomenon and is applauded as a great development tool by many experts. 360-degree appraisals are founded on the idea that any employee’s performance is seen by many others—the manager, peers, directs reports, customers, etc.
Evaluation is done combining the feedbacks received from many people who see different parts of an employee’s performance. Also known as multi-perspective and peer-to-peer feedback, managers, supervisors and employees have found it to be effective in improving their performance.
Right culture is essential
Many organizations always speculate on when is the right time to start implementing the 360-degree appraisal system. Any time is perfect; the more important thing is doing it right the first time. If organizations have the scale and size to implement it while preserving the anonymity of the participants, it should consider the same.
“While it is true that this system serves as an excellent purpose since it reduces biases, however it may not always be successful. Hence it is necessary to create the right culture in the company before introducing the system. If many people at that time in the organization are unhappy or their morale is low the situation can backfire,”
Encourages teamwork
In today’s global world, no objective or a result is delivered individually. Any endeavor towards the achievement of a goal primarily affects and involves team work. The biggest advantage of 360-degree appraisal is that it creates accountability at all levels.
If you know that you will be evaluated by peers and subordinates, it ensures a working culture that respects and encourages team-work. If done properly, the 360-degree appraisal program can be a very positive experience for an employee. A 360-degree review provides employees with valuable feedback on their job performance and their work habits, as viewed by their managers, co-workers, and subordinates. From a management perspective, it also provides another perspective on an employee’s performance.
“Most of the times, it is the co-workers who are the first to realize that there is a performance problem with a team member, so the 360-degree evaluation can help to find that out. In addition, it provides good data about managers too. If you review their evaluations, it will point to the strengths and weaknesses as perceived by their subordinates/peers.”
“360-degree appraisals” are an effective way of understanding the operational style of the individual being appraised. It is however not a measure of the overall management style. These appraisals are meant for change, to help individuals leverage their strengths and work on their weaknesses. It also helps an organization map its training and development activities for an individual based on feedback.
“360-degree evaluations can act as an early warning for potential problems as when someone gets consistent poor rating from many people, we identify this as a case where training/hand-holding is required for the person.”
This appraisal helps team members learn to work more effectively together. Teams know more about how team members are performing than their supervisor. The feedback makes team members more accountable to each other as they share the knowledge and inputs provided on each member’s performance. A well-planned process can improve communication and team development.
But for starters, giving effective appraisals is a difficult task. The main disadvantage is misusing of such a system. If co-workers or subordinates are using this system to get back at other co-workers, it will defeat the purpose. Also, if not done in the right way, it could lead to conflict amongst team members.
Advantages and disadvantages of 360-degree appraisal
Advantages
It’s transparent and bias free
Employees get to know the perception about them from others’ point of view; this helps them know more about themselves
Employees get a ready list of improvement areas from their customers to work on
Employees get to know their good points; this helps boost their self-esteem
The exercise helps improve overall quality of the staff because each is helping the other to improve
Disadvantage
Some people may fear retaliation if they give negative feedback. This is mostly in cases where the organization does not have an open culture
The pitfalls
360-degree appraisal is a little complex process where adherence to process and record-keeping will consume a lot of time. Cost could also be one of the stumbling blocks, especially if the process is conducted through an external agency.
No doubt it reduces biases but is not free from pitfalls. Hence a 360-degree feedback program is doomed if the HR is its only champion. It needs buy-in from senior management as well. Companies should train people in giving and receiving feedback. Companies that implement 360-degree feedback without first developing good managers who can give feedback correctly, risk serious damage to teamwork and morale. Providing constructive feedback calls for instruction, training and practice.
“While training individuals to give and receive feedback may temporarily increase the expense associated with 360-degree feedback programs, the gains will outweigh the higher costs as the feedback delivered to participants becomes more focused, targeting the behaviors most closely associated with value creation and destruction. Ultimately, the goal should be to create a culture in which individuals feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback, both positive and negative, on a real-time basis, rather than waiting for an annual review.”
The right process for implementation
Create awareness about the 360-degree appraisal. Inform the people about importance of 360-degree feedback/how it will be conducted
Create survey questions
Create the technical environment to capture and report the scores
Communicate the steps to be followed for giving the responses
Close the survey on the agreed date
Collate reports and send to the recipient
Meet with employees to discuss results and plan future developments
Provide feedbacks
Conduct a survey again a year or so later, using the same model to determine the amount of change
Presenting the results of the appraisal to managers in a constructive way is critical to the success of the process. “The process of 360-degree appraisal has been used by more than 90 percent of Fortune 1000 companies for the past 10 years. It is a boon to the corporate world though it has its drawbacks. As opposed to the conventional appraisal system, wherein the immediate supervisor provides the employee with unidirectional comments, the 360-degree relies on multi-dimensional feedback.
Confidentiality is also important because it will ensure that everyone can participate in the process. Some individuals are comfortable writing their names in the comments sections, some are not. So, by making it anonymous, one can ensure maximum participation.
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