The Paradox of the 360-degree Performance Management

An Evaluation

Abstract

Companies and governments worldwide have tried many types of performance management systems as they evolved, but new ones surfaced. The article reviews performance management as a sub-field of the human resource management literature. This article traces the history of performance management in organisations but later focuses on the 360-degree type of performance management. The article addresses the problem of performance management within an organisational setting, specifically the 360-degree performance Management system and how it is applied within an organisational setting. Managing performance in an organisation is a noble exercise. Still, the introduction of the 360-degree performance evaluation has its strengths and weaknesses that those in management should be aware of and have some mitigation strategies to control. The literature review reveals that performance management is a valuable practice in an organisation as a performance measurement tool. On the contrary, 360-degree performance management can be exploited by colleagues to get at each other or collude for some sinister motives. The adoption and use of the 360-degree performance management in an organisation can improve performance of both the organisations and the employees. Feedback will be coming from different sources such as the employees, customer and management. The study adopted the integrative literature review methodology where the previous literature was synthesised and evaluated to identify the benefits that could be accrued to organisations.