What is 360 Degree Feedback?
1 Key tool in many high-performing organizations for 30+ years
2 Process of purposefully and systematically soliciting, gathering, and analyzing performance information on an individual from “all around” that individual, including:
- Downward evaluation – Collecting performance data from the individual’s manager, as is the tradition in conventional performance appraisal systems
- Upward evaluation – From individual’s direct reports
- Lateral evaluation – From peers
- Stakeholder evaluations (sometimes) – From others such as customers
3 Typically includes a “self-rating” component to make possible comparison between others’ perceptions and individual’s own view of performance on the job for maximum impact and application
4 When launched with well-thought context and communication, it can transform the status quo and accelerate performance faster than most other tools
What does 360 feedback accomplish?
Individual development
- Develop strategically important employee groups, such as high-potentials for succession planning
- Exposure to others’ perceptions can spur reflection and individual growth
- Uncover blind spots about individual behavior to motivate personal change
- Most effective when paired with development action plans
Career planning and growth
- Attracting and retaining top talent requires understanding individuals’ career growth and development needs
- Clear understanding of individuals’ performance from multiple perspectives provides valuable insights on possibilities for future career advancement and/or career change
Performance management
- Provides accurate sources of data on how well an employee is performing
- Gives powerful incentive for employees to take into account others’ perspectives when planning their own behavior
Promoting organizational culture change
- Sends powerful message of the importance of the opinions of both internal and external customers
- Setting high standards for individual behaviors consistent with your company’s change strategy and measuring behavior through 360 feedback mechanisms helps build change from the inside out
Improving employee relations, workplace problem-solving, and retention of key employees
- Root cause of many workplace problems is behavior by one or more individuals that is inconsistent with the organization’s values and standards
- “Snapshot” views of performance (properly presented to the subject of the evaluation) are often then used as baselines from which to judge whether improvement occurs or not