360-degree approach for bureaucrats

• According to report released by parliamentary standing committee government’s new system of rating officers on the basis of a 360-degree approach is opaque and susceptible to bias, manipulation and lacks fairness.

About 360 degree approach:

• The 360-degree approach is a new multi-source feedback system for performance appraisal of bureaucrats started by the current government for future postings.
• The system seeks to look beyond the ratings received in appraisal reports written by their bosses. It relies on feedback of juniors and other colleagues for an all-round view.
• Till then, empanelment committees would select civil servants for top jobs based on their annual progress reports or confidentiality reports.

Main highlights of the report:

• According to committee, 360 degree appraisal system opaque, non-transparent and subjective. The feedback received from subordinates and stakeholders may be biased and lack objectivity, particularly if the officer had to discipline his subordinates. Moreover, there is no statutory backing to the scheme.
• The question really is how the government is going ahead with an empanelment procedure that has no legal backing.
• Officers of the 84 and 85 batches have come in especially for this experimentation. The rule was if the officer had a year's tenure left, he was not made a full-fledged secretary, but a secretary equivalent with the same pay, perks and prestige. Now for the 84 batch, the one year has been turned into 2 years and for the 85 batch, it's even worse. Officers of this batch with less than three years to go could find themselves becoming secretary equivalent," point out officers.
• The idea is to create a younger profile of officers who will deliver at a faster pace. But for now, the procedure has led to more angst and less delivery.
• Feedback received from subordinates and stakeholders could be biased or lack objectivity, particularly if the officer had to discipline his subordinates or he was unable to meet the unjustified demands of stakeholders. Acting on such feedback behind the back of the officer may not be legally tenable particularly if it adversely affects the empanelment prospects of the officer.

Analysis:

• Every year, a committee of secretaries draws up a list (of candidates) based on annual progress reports; now they do a 360-degree review and make a list. So It’s possible that some who have always had very good reports may not make it, and some who may not have had good reports may make it based on feedback, bureaucracy in India is said to be infatuated with unfounded apathy to the existing work culture and suffer from lack of values and ethics.
• The second Administrative Reform Commission highlighted this deficiency in the existing performance appraisal system.
• As such bureaucracy in India suffers from sense of closely-knit fraternity, where assessment of the subordinates by the superior authorities’ remains always biased.
• Moreover, the 360 degree performance appraisal system is less an instrument to facilitate promotion than to enhance performance and efficiency.
• The validity of the system in bureaucratic performance evaluation in India cannot be fully assessed unless it is implemented properly.

By: Vishal