Full-circle appraisal at BAe

The potential of 360-degree appraisal is being realized at British Aerospace's Military Aircraft Division through closer and more efficient teamwork in complex engineering and manufacturing operations.

The successful inception of the 360-degree or full-circle appraisal techniques within the Military Aircraft Division (MAD) is a logical complement to the company's training and development strategy. The focus has been on improved teamwork, enhanced personnel management skills and task orientation.

Significantly, 360-degree appraisal has been piloted in what is probably the most sophisticated integrated engineering initiative in Europe -- the Eurofighter 2000 project -- which involves international partners in producing one of the most advanced military aircraft in the world.

The Eurofighter 2000 (EF2000) avionics team at the Warton, Lancashire-based, MAD headquarters, found that the management ability of team leaders was becoming an issue, manifested in demotivation and diminished productivity among teams themselves. However, MAD felt that a 360-degree appraisal programme would help overcome these difficulties, since the division has actively encouraged employee involvement and participation over the last two years.

This form of appraisal was introduced by personal development specialists in the division's personnel directorate, which defines it as performance analysis through upward, downward and peer-group feedback, in addition to personal self-assessment by managers and team leaders.

Effectiveness survey

The trigger for the programme was an effectiveness survey conducted by MAD's organizational development (OD) specialists across eight different teams, ranging in population from five to 120 people. This was the first step in their overall co-ordination of appraisal and performance measurement activities.

Focus groups met and individual interviews of 270 people from EF2000 avionics were conducted. These exercises helped the OD team identify group needs, with the emphasis on team and personal development for the management population. The survey also revealed the importance of involving everyone on the EF2000 team in management development per se.

Questionnaire

A questionnaire was produced from the personal attributes inventory (PAI) framework of competences, which MAD has introduced recently with significant success. The range of attributes or competences was then tailored to 360-degree appraisal in order to produce high-quality feedback information. This was a crucial factor in realizing actionable data which also needed to establish credibility among team leaders and team members.

MAD's personnel directorate says that securing ownership and acceptance...