The important thing is that he is going to be at the same level as those employees. He can ask them questions such as, "What needs improvement?" He's a bright guy so I would imagine he can figure out a way to make the employees feel comfortable enough to be dead honest with him. While you are right that there will be some cleansing, in general the employees can show him what they are talking about in a way that some feedback form just couldn't accomplish. (I must note that even dishing out a feedback form to employees once or twice a year is a giant step for many companies.)