360 Degree Feedback In Developing Leadership Skills Management Essay

360 Degree Feedback In Developing Leadership Skills Management Essay There is a great deal of controversy about the relevancy of using 360-degree feedback as a tool to develop leadership skills. Some view 360-degree feedback as a collaborative tool, a tool offering a more balanced circle of feedback based on the assessments of superiors, peers, and subordinates. These views lead me to wonder, how effective can this tool be if it does not factor in â€Å"leadership styles† and the potential for bias based on â€Å"popularity?† Will personality and popularity play a role in the assessment? Though extreme, there is some merit to my position. This realization guided me to my decision that 360-degree feedback is an effective tool to provide self assessment and can also be used to enhance performance measures during annual counseling such as leadership, communication, and mission effectiveness. Background The underlying theory of 360-degree feedback asserts that an assessment received from multiple sources provides unique and meaningful infor mation to the recipient. Rapid growth of its use was fueled by the need to adapt to a changing human resources management environment and by numerous studies that supported the effectiveness of multi-source ratings in post-feedback management development. A significant complaint of the traditional performance appraisal system voiced by services is that feedback is generally one-sided and can lack objectivity. In the 1940s, the Army implemented a tool called the multi-rater system, also known as the multisource assessment process.   [ 1 ]   The multi-rater system allows a person’s evaluation to encompass reviews from not only a rater, but also a person’s subordinates, peers, clients, and organizational hierarchy. This allows a reviewer to get a more complete picture of a person and removes a singular rater from being able to determine the fate of a career. If an officer’s boss dislikes a subordinate, but he gets top marks from everyone else, it puts the bossà ¢â‚¬â„¢s review in context, and would likely generate questions from the senior rater over the rating ability of the boss. In 2006, the Navy tested a prototype model of the 360-degree feedback process in the Surface Warfare Community. Similar to Army results, the Navy prototype showcased a strength of the 360-degree feedback process is its ability to provide varying perspectives of raters. The Navy prototype findings also emphasized that a supervisor cannot observe all the interactions, strengths and opportunities for improvement of his subordinates for evaluation reports, especially if the span of control is broad.   [ 2 ]   So why should the supervisor be the only person to provide performance feedback? Discussion A major advantage to the 360-degree feedback process is that it provides an opportunity for people with whom a person comes into frequent contact to offer feedback. This is an important consideration because the rater should be the person that has observed the employ ee on a frequent basis. It would be unfair and impractical to ask a rater for input when the opportunity to observe an employee’s skills, talents and abilities have not been provided on a regular basis. Let’s look at two examples of 360-degree feedback in action; first let’s look at an Army Captain who serves as a signal officer in an infantry battalion. His rater is the Battalion Executive Officer, a combat-arms officer, who does not know much about communication other than how to operate a radio. If the signal officer performs his job well, the XO will likely give him a reasonably favorable review on a traditional Evaluation Review. Now let’s use a 360-degree feedback process and involve his higher-echelon counterpart, the Brigade S6 Officer, who is a Major and a signal officer, who gives the Captain an excellent rating based on his technical proficiency. If we involve his section, they can comment on his leadership, management style and his ability to explain complex technical issues in plain English. His peers in the battalion, other captains and the company commanders, all give him high marks for working with them to resolve communication issues. Now the 360-degree feedback process is given to his senior rater, the Battalion Commander, who now has a more complete view of this officer and how he has performed based on additional feedback from numerous sources, rather than the traditional counseling from one rater that would have communicated a generic, but reasonably positive review.

Factors in Asian Urban Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Factors in Asian Urban Growth - Essay Example In relation to population and size, Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent. Its gross domestic product is the third highest in the world. With the rise of globalization, world economies had structural adjustments which influenced production, resource utilization and wealth creation (Clark, 2003). Asian economies experienced high development in the manufacturing industry supplemented by the availability of cheap labor. According to Keiner, Schretzenmayr and Schmid (2005), urbanization in Asia has occurred at some of the fastest rates in history with a rise in large urban agglomerates. The urban growth is expected to increase more as time goes by, especially within the least developed, low income economies in Asia. This fast rate of urban growth in Asia has been linked with the population dynamics, economic markets and socio-political conditions of the region. Population growth has always been a factor in economic development. The Malthusian theory on population is that a high population can lead to a crash in the economy by leading it to acute poverty while trying to sustain the population’s needs. There are better views to population in that a large population means the availability of a large labour force and domestic market. An increase in population also encourages technological advancement and innovation in a bid to meet the rising need for certain goods and services according to Clark (2003). Asian population levels have been high over time even before this burst of urbanization. The population has a big role in the urbanization and development since they occupy the urban cities and engage in economic activities that sustain the rise of urban centers. Likewise the socio -political environment is also important to the urban growth. Success in economic development depends greatly on the political and administrative officials. These government officials also influence infrastructural development in the urban centers and rural ar eas of a country. Asia is a politically, economically socially and culturally diverse region. With globalization, countries in the region have been able to integrate especially to facilitate trade and economic activities. The rate of infrastructure growth in many Asian cities has been inevitable given the rising population. Roads, hospitals, schools and housing facilities in the urban centers had to be expanded in order to accommodate this population. The other factor related to urbanization is the economic markets. Compared to the other two factors the effects of the economy in the development of cities are more pronounced. Most Asian economic markets are characterized by free trade, booming capital markets, reduced regulations economic freedom, and security of property rights. In addition to this, economic integration in the region and with other economies of the world has led to a further increase in economic activity in the region (Landau, 2001). Economic integration led to conn ectivity among cities in the Asian region in order to facilitate the flow of goods and services, people, investments and communication between them. Free trade in the area has been encouraged by the formation of trade blocs. They include Asian pacific cooperation (APEC), whose aim is to promote free trade and economic cooperation the Asia pacific region. The Asia- Europe meeting (ASEM) works towards security of economy by deepening relations between Asia and Europe at all levels. The major trade bloc in the are which is the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has its main objectives to have a free trade area , with common external preferential tariff

Pros and Cons of High Stakes Testing in California Research Paper

Pros and Cons of High Stakes Testing in California - Research Paper Example It is a tool of progress but not for judgment of the capability or cleverness. Moreover, data from statewide testing is normally available to the public hence every parent is capable of viewing the performance of the child. Accessibility of these information aids parents in making of more informed decisions concerning how their child fair on with education (Madaus, Russell & Higgins, 2009). High stakes examinations causes anxiety but annual testing and frequent practice tests assist children in advancing their test taking capabilities over a period. Thus, children are capable to learn how to deal with pressure, developing appropriate skills and strategies essentials in achieving the parent’s and school expectations (Au & Tempel, 2012). Conversely, teachers and corresponding experts possess solemn detriments in regard to high stakes testing. High stakes tests cause any discipline that is not related to mathematics and language arts not to be learnt in class. Moreover, science, social studies and art to be forfeit in order to create time for learning test prep (Au & Tempel, 2012). Pressure on the underlying teachers can clamp down the ingenuity and originality. Moreover, pressure from the administration normally results to less elasticity in developing lessons plan to the prevailing individual students. Escalated pressure on the prevailing parents and students is normally counterproductive in case the pressure is not constructive. How high stakes testing has helped or hindered student achievement or progress High stakes testing has resulted to development of alteration within the classroom that is important and positive. The plan has teachers to better plan their underlying instruction thereby allowing them the capability of narrowing in specific bodies of knowledge that are fundamental to students. This guidance of the curriculum have aided children in understanding concepts by compelling teachers to be more aware of state standard requirements in regard to teaching (Au & Tempel, 2012). Moreover, high stakes testing in schools have made the teachers to be aware of the matching instruction to what the students require to know in order to be successful on the state mandated tests. Nevertheless, high stakes testing allocate limited time within the school year thus does not permit time for infinite instruction hence impacting negatively on the part of the children (Madaus, Russell & Higgins, 2009). Description of state's testing system and high stakes testing High stakes testing grants teachers a chance to improve their skills in giving instructions and stipulate the standard that guide curriculum thus allowing more parental involvement within the education. Moreover, curriculum reflects on the state-mandated standardized test that is typically granted annually. State&apos as a testing system is a developed set of state standards that possess peculiar set of skills that students ought to be taught at particular grade level. It allo ws for easy movement of the students from one school to the other in the same state within the middle of school year. It was seen to be taking away the teachers creativity and abilities of teaching (Au & Tempel, 2012). Description of ethical questions involved with the testing The ethical questions in regard to the testing pertain to the perception that the technology was faulty even though underlying