360 Feedback Report Best Practices - Part 6 of 6: Addressing Readiness to Change

In our fifth installment of this series, we learn that taking steps that involve others, such as conversations, participants can help shift from theory to practical action, and start to see growth in their development.

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

6) Address Readiness to Change

  The best action plans will fail if the participant is not ready for change, or lacks a critical element for success.

Between planning and implementation, the change process should include a quick self-assessment of the participant’s readiness to change.

If they are not ready, they need to pause the process and address the deficiency.  It makes no sense to ask them to implement a plan when there is a good chance they will not succeed. 

Effective use of these design principles turns traditional 360 reports upside down. Change-centric reports begin by teaching a simple change model, explaining practical steps anyone can do to improve, presenting summary feedback to help the participant identify what to change, then walking participants through the change process. The detailed feedback analysis is at the end of the report.

With the detailed feedback at the end of the report, participants can use it as a reference to confirm their development choice, or change their mind and select something else to improve. However, even if participants don’t go through all the feedback at the end, they know what they want to improve and they have a plan they know they can accomplish.

Change-centric 360 reports clarify what and how to improve, give participants the confidence they will succeed, and start participants on next steps to where they are working on their development, instead of just learning about their feedback. Behavior changes, skill improves, and organizations enhance their leadership capabilities.

To read Part 1, click here.

To read Part 2, click here.

To read Part 3, click here.

To read Part 4, click here.

To read Part 5, click here.