360-Degree Feedback Basics

Definition
360-degree feedback is an assessment tool that provides employees with feedback about their performance. Supervisors, peers, and, where appropriate, customers answer questions about an individual’s skills and attributes.

The employees are often rated in areas such as leadership, communication, and productivity, and technical skills. Employees also rate themselves in these areas. All of the information is compiled into an individual report for each employee. The reports show employees’ strengths and weaknesses according to the 360 survey responses. Participants use this information to make changes in their behavior and performance.

360-degree feedback is often known by other names such as:
• Multi-source feedback
• Multi-rater assessment
• Full-circle appraisal
• Upward feedback
• Peer evaluation
• 3-dimensional Tool

Purpose
360-degree feedback allows employees to assess strengths and weakness in their workplace performance, interpersonal communication and/or management style with a focus on individual and organizational development.

Managers and executives can use the information provided by 360-degree feedback to create organizational and individual development plans. Managers and executives also gain tremendous personal benefit as they see how their leadership style and methods are perceived by those they manage. As they make adjustments to better manage their employees, the entire organization benefits from the improved productivity.

Managers and executives can use the information provided by 360-degree feedback to create organizational and individual development plans. Managers and executives also gain tremendous personal benefit as they see how their leadership style and methods are perceived by those they manage. As they make adjustments to better manage their employees, the entire organization benefits from the improvement to productivity.
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Tools of 360-Degree Feedback

Evaluations
The 360-degree feedback process relies on information usually gathered through a survey using self-evaluations, supervisor evaluations, and sometimes customer evaluations.

Responses are rated numerically. Higher scores represent strengths and lower scores represent weaknesses. Gaps between your self-assessment scores and scores provided by other respondents represent either hidden strengths or developmental opportunities and blind spots.

Evaluations are usually completed online or over the phone. Surveys can also be completed on paper and submitted by hand or by fax. International or multi-cultural organizations can prepare and conduct surveys in different languages.

To take a sample 360 survey, please try our free demo.

Reports
Data compiled from the evaluations is compiled into individual and group reports detailing the gaps between employees’ self-perceptions and the perceptions of the others who rated them. Raters’ results are presented anonymously.

Report results are usually presented both graphically and through data. Charts and graphs allow participants to visually distinguish the areas of strength and weakness.

The report may also include performance evaluations and recommendations for improvement from individuals and groups with different perspectives.

These developmental opportunities are the true purpose behind the 360-feedback process. Individuals and organizations use these developmental opportunities to drive changes needed to improve performance.

To view a sample report, click here.

Coaching
To ensure data provided through the 360-degree feedback is assimilated, individuals should receive coaching from a supervisor or external consultant trained in the 360 process. This coaching can help the individual understand the details of the report and help him/her set goals to incorporate the information received into his/her workplace performance.

Follow-up
To be truly effective, 360-degree feedback requires more than just the delivery of reports. The information gathered in the reports can be used as a source of information for the development of individual, group, and organizational goals. Participants and managers or consultants should regularly follow up to assess progress toward those goals.
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Who benefits from using 360-feedback?

Organizations
360-degree feedback has the greatest impact when used to evaluate and improve the performance of whole organizations. As its name implies, 360-degree feedback assesses the effect individuals’ actions have on the organization of which they are a part. The information gathered can be used to assess the performance of an entire organization.

Organizations can use the information gathered during 360-degree feedback to develop continuous learning programs to offer training in those areas where managers and employees should focus their improvement efforts.

Individuals
People are often unaware of how their behavior influences those around them. 360-degree feedback allows people to provide co-workers, subordinates, and managers with constructive feedback through a safe, anonymous, systematic process. Individuals receive specific information that allows them to understand how others perceive them. They can easily recognize in what ways they are succeeding and how they can improve.

The information gathered through 360-degree feedback can be especially helpful for managers. As they gain understanding of how their subordinates view their direction, they can make changes that allow them to lead more effectively; which directly improves the performance of their group within the organization.
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Why do a 360-degree feedback survey?

Measure Performance
360-feedback questions are designed to assess performance based on the organization’s own mission, values, goals, and priorities as well as common competencies such as leadership and communication.

360 surveys are crafted to measure observable behaviors and provide specific and accurate qualitative information to employees about their workplace performance.

Subordinates and peers are often the best source of information on an individual’s mastery of specific skills, because they work most closely with that person and are most directly affected by his or her application of these skills.

Develop Skills
Feedback is an essential component of continuous learning initiatives. 360-degree feedback can identify areas for potential change. 360-degree feedback also identifies hidden strengths in employees highlighting potential areas for leadership development. As employees develop new skills and strengthen existing skills, their workplace performance improves.

Although simply having good information about strengths and weaknesses does not guarantee change, without that information, change is often unattainable. Regular feedback and coaching related to actual or perceived job performance, if done properly, can enhance the quality of work provided by employees and foster an environment of collaboration.> Back to top

What shouldn’t 360-degree feedback be?

360-degree feedback can be a powerful opportunity to encourage employee and organizational growth. It must be conducted carefully and correctly to ensure a positive experience for participants and raters.

A Weapon
If participants feel that their survey responses and results can be used against them, traced back to them, or used against others, they may not respond candidly. A 360-feedback should not be used as the basis for determining raises, promotions, or disciplinary action. 360-degree feedback respondents’ anonymity should be protected. They should know that they can rely on the 360-degree feedback process to provide and receive candid feedback they can use to make changes to their workplace performance.

A One-Size-Fits-All Solution
360-degree feedback should not be used as the solution to complex performance or cultural issues. 360 feedback produces the best results when it is used as a tool to identify opportunities for change and used to develop individual and organizational goals to make those changed. Each 360-feedback assessment should be customized to specific organizational or personal goals, not created as a single, generic solution for every organizational challenge.
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Launching 360-Degree Feedback

Preparing and conducting your first 360-degree feedback project doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are a few tips for getting started right.

Set Goals
Decide what you want your 360-degree survey process to measure. How will you use the results? Who will participate? What will you include in the reports? How will you incorporate the results into your organizational goals?

Prepare Participants
When starting a 360-degree program, you need to educate respondents and participants. Let them know what to expect and how the process will help them individually and the organization as a whole.

• Explain the goals of the 360 process
• Ensure participants know how the results will be presented and used.
• Assure participants their responses will be kept confidential.
• Answer any questions and address individual’s concerns.
• Instruct participants on how to complete the surveys and add comments.
• Encourage participants to be as open as possible.
• Communicate confidence in the 360-degree feedback process to participants and respondants

The more confident participants are in the process and its goals, the more candid and accurate their responses will be. More honest, complete responses mean more actionable results.

Develop your 360 instrument
Your organization is unique. Ensure your survey instrument is tailored to your organization’s unique needs. Ask clear, concise questions that directly relate to participants’ daily experiences with their jobs and with those they work with. Give participants adequate opportunity to leave comments regarding specific areas of improvement. Participants lose confidence in the process if they are required to answer questions that do not apply to their regular work experience.

Ensure Confidentiality
One of the strengths of 360 feedback is the ability to receive and give constructive feedback without fear of reprisal. 360-degree feedback should give the subject an accurate view of how his/her performance is perceived by others. If respondents fear their responses can harm them in any way, they will choose safe rather than honest responses. Less-than-candid feedback severely limits the effectiveness of 360-degree feedback.

Choose a 360-Degree Feedback Vendor
The 360 survey marketplace offers a broad variety of 360-degree feedback products. Choose one that will best suit your organization’s needs and budget.

Off-the-Shelf Products: many generic survey products are available in packaged form. These products are often less expensive, but cannot be customized to the specific dynamics of your organization.

In-house 360: some organizations decide to handle the entire 360-degree feedback process themselves. They create, administer, host, and process the survey. This ensures the survey proceeds exactly as they wish, but requires extensive investment in programming and equipment as well as extensive oversight.

360 Feedback Consultants: Human Resources or Organizational Development consultants often offer a wide variety of 360 products. Using consultants often means assistance through the entire 360 process as well as the opportunity to rely on their experience and expertise. Post-survey coaching is often the greatest advantage of working with consultants. They assist individuals and organizations in developing goals based on the 360 results. Some consultants require restrictive contracts with hidden line-item costs. Some vendors may also claim ownership of the data collected and charge you to access it. Such items can make costs difficult to predict.

360-Degree Feedback Processing: these vendors handle the technology aspects of 360-degree feedback. They host the survey, collect the data, process it and prepare reports. This option is often cost effective because you receive a customized survey and reports without the investment in software or equipment. Another advantage of this option is the reduction in administrator burden. Administrators are able to focus on content and organizational development instead of technical issues. A 360 processing vendor usually does not usually provide survey content or post-survey coaching. Organizations can develop their own survey instrument or use consultants for survey content.

Develop a follow-up program
Before you launch your survey, put the structure in place to follow-up on the survey results. You can decide who will be in charge of individual coaching to help participants understand their reports and use the information to initiate change.

Use the results to drive training and development programs for employees and managers. Follow-up is imperative to maximizing the value-derived from 360-feedback.

STAR is a 360-degree feedback processing company. To learn more about our products, please call us at 1-888-467-8575. > Back to top