Using good news to walk-through the change model gives is what we covered in the last blog post, and this third principle can show HOW to implement the changes.

The third design principle that is essential for a report that transforms feedback into behavior change is that it should:

3) Guide Self Discovery, Not Prescribe

People have more ownership when something is their own idea. Nothing is more important than having a 360 participant ‘own’ their development plan. 

Many reports provide developmental recommendations which come across as prescriptions. People often ignore prescriptions and if they follow the prescriptions but don’t get the desired results, it is easy for the participant to excuse the outcome and blame it on the prescription. 

The change model should guide participants through the process of discovering developmental options so they ‘own’ their action plan. Organizations have formal resources, but often it’s the informal resources, such as a mentor or work experience, that is most impactful. 

The best way to identify the informal resources is through development-focused conversations with others in their organization. Through such conversations, participants discover how their behavior impacts others and what specifically they need to do to improve.

Including conversations as part of the change process helps participants identify not only informal resources, but how their current skill level impacts others, and what specifically they can do to improve. We’ve found that after at least three such conversations, participants create better plans and own the results, instead of having an outsider telling them what to do. 

To read Part 1, click here.

To read Part 2, click here.