Overcoming Issues at NIIT

 

The success of the 360-degrees feedback at NIIT can be attributed to the following key factors:

v     Absolute top management commitment.

v     User-friendly design, simple form and easy workflow.

v     Linkages with Performance Management system, in that the supervisor is required to enquire about the IEF report of the Reviewer and give advice on how the individual might improve on the core values and key attributes.

v     Use of the tool purely as a developmental input and disassociation from the reward system

v     Effective education, communication and training in support of the system.

v     Line buy-in and extensive user involvement.

 

360-degree feedback - cause or consequence

There are lots of queries and discussions associated with 360-degree feedback – Will it work in India, whether we will be open, what is the culture of the organization, etc.

 

In certain organizations where you need to change the culture, after some initial groundwork, if you use 360-degree feedback you would actually accelerate the pace of cultural change. Therefore it is a cause of cultural change there. In certain other companies, the culture is such that you can't wait; you have to have a 360-degree feedback because people are very open and keen to receive feedback from others. So the culture necessitates 360-degree feedback.

 

So 360-degree feedback is basically a very powerful tool, which can be both a consequence and a cause of culture. Though there are certain unique conditions associated with 360-degree feedback, there's nothing very Indian about it. Top management commitment is a very important pre-requisite. The process needs leading from the front which helps in developing belief in the system and the conviction that it will happen.