The Influence of Individual and Contextual Variables on 360-Degree Feedback System Attitudes

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of individual and contextual variables on attitudes toward 360-degree feedback systems. It was hypothesized that individual differences as well as contextual factors would influence employees' receptivity to the implementation of a multirater appraisal system. Respondents were 52 employees from a manufacturing company and 23 employees from a telecommunications organization. All respondents had participated in the piloting of a multirater feedback system. The identified variables accounted for nearly 50% of the variance in 360-degree feedback system attitudes. These findings support the notion that organizations must begin to recognize the variety of needs of the workforce and understand the importance of providing a multitude of tools to improve performance. Further analyses indicated that contextual factors appear more important than personality in determining 360-degree attitudes. Implications for organizational practices are suggested along with areas of future research.

[1]  S. Ashford.  Feedback-Seeking in Individual Adaptation: A Resource Perspective , 1986 .

[2]  S. Ashford.  The feedback environment: An exploratory study of cue use , 1993 .

[3]  S. J. Motowidlo,et al.  Prosocial Organizational Behaviors , 1986 .

[4]  Paul E. Spector.  Behavior in organizations as a function of employee's locus of control. , 1982 .

[5]  Paul D. Sweeney,et al.  Locus of Control as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Perceived Influence and Procedural Justice , 1991 .

[6]  Paul E. Levy,et al.  The Effects of Source Credibility and Performance Rating Discrepancy on Reactions to Multiple Raters1 , 1995 .

[7]  H. John Bernardin,et al.  Performance appraisal : assessing human behavior at work , 1984 .

[8]  Walter W. Torno.  Editor's note: Introduction to special issue on 360‐degree feedback , 1993 .

[9]  H. J. Bernardin,et al.  Attitudes of first-line supervisors toward subordinate appraisals , 1993 .

[10]  Dianna L. Stone,et al.  The effects of feedback consistency and feedback favorability on self-perceived task competence and perceived feedback accuracy , 1985 .

[11]  L. J. Williams,et al.  Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment as Predictors of Organizational Citizenship and In-Role Behaviors , 1991 .

[12]  Robert P. Vecchio,et al.  Influences on the quality of supervisor–subordinate relations: The role of time‐pressure, organizational commitment, and locus of control , 1994 .

[13]  James L. Farr,et al.  Personnel selection and assessment : individual and organizational perspectives , 1993 .

[14]  Dianna L. Stone,et al.  The Effects of Multiple Sources of Performance Feedback and Feedback Favorability on Self-Perceived Task Competence and Perceived Feedback Accuracy , 1984 .

[15]  Jennifer A. Chatman,et al.  Organizational commitment and psychological attachment: The effects of compliance, identification, and internalization on prosocial behavior. , 1986 .

[16]  J. Rotter.  Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. , 1966, Psychological monographs.

[17]  P. Levy,et al.  Situational and individual determinants of feedback seeking: a closer look at the process , 1995 .

[18]  L. V. Dyne,et al.  Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Construct Redefinition, Measurement, and Validation , 1994 .

[19]  Kevin R. Murphy,et al.  Performance appraisal: An organizational perspective. , 1991 .

[20]  P. Levy,et al.  Effects of self‐esteem and gender on goal choice , 1991 .

[21]  D. Organ.  Organizational citizenship behavior: The good soldier syndrome. , 1988 .

[22]  A. Howard.  The changing nature of work , 1995 .

[23]  A. Bedeian,et al.  AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF SELF‐APPRAISAL‐BASED PERFORMANCE EVALUATION , 1988 .

[24]  V. Vroom,et al.  Leadership and decision-making , 1975 .

[25]  Dennis W. Organ,et al.  COGNITIVE VERSUS AFFECTIVE DETERMINANTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR , 1989 .

[26]  Kevin R. Murphy,et al.  Understanding Performance Appraisal: Social, Organizational, and Goal-Based Perspectives , 1995 .

[27]  R. Baumeister,et al.  Self-Presentational Motivations and Personality Differences in Self-Esteem , 1989 .

[28]  M. Taylor,et al.  Consequences of individual feedback on behavior in organizations. , 1979 .

[29]  Paul E. Spector.  Development of the Work Locus of Control Scale , 1988 .

[30]  Sarah A. Hezlett,et al.  The impact of 360‐degree feedback on management skills development , 1993 .

[31]  B. Meglino,et al.  The role of dispositional and situational antecedents in prosocial organizational behavior: An exami , 1994 .

[32]  M. D. Dunnette.  My hammer or your hammer , 1993 .

[33]  Gregory B. Northcraft,et al.  Conveying more (or less) than we realize: The role of impression-management in feedback-seeking , 1992 .

[34]  L. L. Cummings,et al.  FEEDBACK AS AN INDIVIDUAL RESOURCE: PERSONAL STRATEGIES OF CREATING INFORMATION , 1983 .

[35]  Gerald R. Ferris,et al.  Social Context of Performance Evaluation Decisions , 1993 .

[36]  S. Carroll,et al.  Performance appraisal and review systems : the identification, measurement, and development of performance in organizations , 1982 .

[37]  E. Goffman.  The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life , 1959 .

[38]  James W. Smither,et al.  CAN MULTI-SOURCE FEEDBACK CHANGE PERCEPTIONS OF GOAL ACCOMPLISHMENT, SELF-EVALUATIONS, AND PERFORMANCE-RELATED OUTCOMES? THEORY-BASED APPLICATIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH , 1995 .

[39]  E. Lawler,et al.  The multitrait-multirater approach to measuring managerial job performance. , 1967, The Journal of applied psychology.

[40]  A. T. Cobb.  Informal Influence in the Formal Organization: Psychological and Situational Correlates , 1986 .