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Most people are uncomfortable with criticism, however constructive it might be. That’s certainly true in the working world, where any negative evaluation from immediate colleagues can be met with resentment and distress.
But what if rounded and honest analysis of performance from peers could be harnessed in a positive way, to underpin personal development? And what if it provided feedback that could be presented in the form of a valuable document, crammed full of statistical data to help propel a career?
Welcome to the world of Engineer360, a new diagnostic software tool developed by the IMechE that uses feedback from co-workers to benchmark performance in key areas such as technical proficiency, professional skills and interpersonal abilities. The online tool takes this feedback and combines it with self-evaluation to deliver a meaningful assessment of future development needs, either for appraisal or to support IMechE membership application.
“Using 360° feedback allows an accurate and comprehensive assessment of performance in key areas, via evaluation from a number of different viewpoints,” explains Mark Pepperell, learning and development programme manager at the IMechE. “The tool is unique – it combines the thoroughness of 360° feedback with industry-specific areas of focus – allowing a thorough review of performance in the areas which are most important to being a successful engineer. As well as providing an accurate gauge on performance, it can also evaluate how an individual is perceived and how they see themselves within their organisation, highlighting potential areas of conflict.”
Zakir Ahmed was one of the first people to try out Engineer360. He had been working as an emissions calibration engineer at consultancy AVL Southfields, having worked his way up from a junior position to a more management-focused role. Keen to progress, Ahmed decided to use the online tool to identify areas of weakness, so that he could rectify them and improve his overall performance.
“I was just starting to manage people, and I wanted more help with that,” he says. “Typically, engineers get feedback on their performance through an annual review, but it’s pretty rare to sit down and complete a full appraisal of performance and development. I thought that this would be a really useful exercise.”
Ahmed chose four colleagues – three co-workers and a line manager – to participate in his Engineer360 personal development assessment. Each colleague filled in a short online form that evaluated Ahmed’s performance in five key areas: technical understanding, problem solving, leadership skills, interpersonal skills and professionalism. Their anonymous answers were merged with Ahmed’s appraisal of his own performance to provide a document containing useful statistical performance indicators.
“I wanted to get a much better understanding of my weaknesses and this process enabled my colleagues to give their feedback more transparently than would normally be the case,” he says. “The online tool was incredibly easy to use. I selected my reviewers, the software sent them the relevant form, and it took about 15-20 minutes for each person to fill out the answers. Job done.”
But wasn’t he perturbed at finding out what his colleagues thought of him, even if the data was presented in an anonymised fashion? “I wasn’t bothered,” he says. “You never know what other people are thinking. You might think they are happy with all aspects of your work, but that’s not always the case.
“I did get some feedback that I wasn’t expecting. I thought I was keeping to project deadlines, but my feedback said I could improve in that area. It came out of the blue, but it was very useful. As a result, I’ve started keeping more notifications on Microsoft Outlook and have tried to be a little more proactive when deadlines are approaching.”
Ahmed thinks that the concept of using feedback to evaluate individual performance allows engineers to develop a level of self-awareness of their own progress which is justified, rather than being based on self-belief. And by aligning an individual’s view of performance with the rest of the team, he thinks more realistic performance targets can be met.
In addition to the feedback document, Engineer360 also provides the opportunity for a one-hour telephone feedback session, for a more forensic examination of the collected data. “I opted for this – and I found it really useful,” adds Ahmed.
The standalone Engineer360 report costs £150, while the package with the one-hour telephone feedback session costs £300. For more details, email the IMechE Learning and Development department at training@imeche.org