Have you ever sat down to unearth findings to do with 360-Degree review technologies just to find yourself staring dumbfounded at your computer monitor? I know that I have.

We need to look at the larger context of the organization and its overall processes of development as a development system and then see how well integrated the 360-degree feedback process is. That is, what are the different policies, practices, and tools that the organization is already using for purposes of development? For example, competency models, succession planning, management development programs, performance management tools, and coaching may already be part of an organization's development strategy. Then, we need to ask how well they play together in an integrated way and how linked they are to the organization's business goals and strategies. You want to implement 360 degree feedbackand you know now how to do it well. You can manage that yourself for sure but, is that the best way of managing 360 degree feedback? And perhaps more importantly, will you really make the difference you want to make in the organisation this way? Use 360 degree feedbackas an excuse and a tool to progress the real conversations you want to have. This chapter shows you how to use 360 as a leadership tool. A multi-rater assessment is an evaluation process based on the ratings from multiple sources. Also known as multi-rater feedback or multi-rater survey, the process helps identify strengths and improvement areas in a professional setting. Multi-rater assessment allows unbiased evaluation of the individual in consideration from diverse perspectives. If you choose to implement an anonymous multi-rater assessment, such as the 360 degree review, it is possible to discover insights that are usually not talked about in a face-to-face setting. It is also possible that one comment from a single person would not receive the same consideration. In other words, a multi-rater feedback session may highlight something that is being noticed by several people. Hence, such an issue or achievement may get the required attention. There are a number of ways to reach out to customers and involve them in a 360-degree feedback process. In the design phase of a program, input from key customers can be helpful. Input might include customers' ideas about the criteria that they feel ought to be part of the process, the expectations they have of employees or managers with whom they come in contact, and the areas in which they would like to provide feedback. They may also want to help shape the process that will be used to gather the feedback and the mechanisms that will be used to solicit their involvement. Distinction among 360 degree participants should involve examination of both the spread of performance scores and the validity of the various scores. Assuming the test of distinction is made in terms of scores that clearly differentiate between high, medium, and low performers, the next step should be to examine whether people receive the performance scores they should.



Organizations can maximize the value of 360 degree feedbackas a process that will create successful individual and organizational development. This can be done by being intentional and systemic when designing and implementing a 360-degree feedback program such that it fits with the intended purpose, is aligned with the business goals and strategies, and is integrated with the other HR systems. While 360-degree appraisal has its value, it’s often not as effective or appreciated as 360-degree feedback. 360-degree feedback can be given or received at any time and often is less biased since it involves an employee’s work on a specific project. Feedback results in a 360 degree review can be presented as raw scores, through different rating types (calculated on the basis of the number of raters or the total number ratings, as the case may be) or standardized scores combined with or show separate from subjective comments gleaned from answers to open-ended questions in the feedback form. When done right, 360-feedback has a host of benefits. These include strengthening accountability and collaboration among teams and reducing biases. But this kind of feedback isn't without its flaws. Nonetheless, a keen understanding of 360 degree feedback can be seen to be a multifaceted challenge in any workplace.

It’s All In The Packaging

If a development plan is put into action in the work place and targeted behaviours are practised and expanded, the 360-degree feedback process will have been successfully implemented. Incidentally, there are three occasions when a manager is most receptive to feedback; soon after a critical transition in job, when they feel somewhat overwhelmed by their transfer; when they feel unchallenged by their current position, and when their career is in danger of failing. Everyone should be involved in the 360 degree feedbackprogramme, no matter what position they have in your organisation. In fact, senior employees should be the “first at the gate” and be vocal about how beneficial it can be, as this will help define the culture going forwards. Nasty politics can become apparent and play out in a 360 degree feedbackprocess. This requires management and mediation once again. In these instances 360 degree feedbackacts as a catalyst to show the worst of what is really going on. This can be ugly to deal with and not to be considered by the fainthearted. If you suspect nasty politics at a certain level, you might want to take on dealing with this first before using 360 degree feedback. 360 degree feedbackdoes not make the sorting of politics easier; it is that politics makes 360 harder. 360 feedback is a key part of continuous performance management, which is the process of providing regular, ongoing feedback to employees throughout the year. It aims to replace the traditional performance management model, which is over-reliant on the annual performance review. Continuous performance management aims to create an environment where feedback is given regularly, and teams can perform to their maximum potential. Buy-in from leadership is essential to 360 success. It is vital to clearly outline the benefits to both employees and the business in the early stages. Another great idea is to include some of the senior leadership team in your pilot testing groups, this is a great way to get them involved and understand the benefits from day 1. Analysis and decision making become easier when an understanding of 360 degree feedback system is woven into the organisational fabric.

The amount and level of training in 360-degree feedback for both the rater and ratee can affect the level of accuracy of the feedback. If no guidance is given, individual bias may affect the rater's ratings and the ratee's interpretation of the feedback. However, even with training measures in place, unconscious bias may still occur due to factors such as the cultural influences or relationship quality between the rater and ratee. Emotional control and professionalism kick in duing feedback sessions and 360 degree participants try to hide their emotions. Being upset at work is not really considered OK. So you have to look and listen and feel really carefully. This is your “deep listening” – listening beyond the words they are saying. Listen to how they are talking, listen to the subtlety in the wording they use, listen for the sense in their talking. When 360 degree feedbackis implemented in the context of performance appraisal the questions will be of a more practical and transactional nature. In this case the questions could look at input, output, method and integration. 360 Feedback can be a useful development tool for people who are not in a management role. Strictly speaking, a "non-manager" 360 assessment is not measuring feedback from 360 degrees since there are no direct reports, but the same principles still apply. The 360-degree approach recognizes that little change can be expected without feedback, and that different constituencies are a source of rich and useful information to help managers guide their behavior. For instance, a subordinate’s perspective likely will be distinctly different from that of the supervisor, who is traditionally charged with evaluating a manager‘s performance. Keeping up with the latest developments regarding 360 feedback software is a pre-cursor to Increased employee motivation and building the link between performance and rewards.

Improving Productivity & Working Relationships

During a 360 feedback session, there is a strong tendency for participants to only focus on the negative messages, such that the positive data almost disappears from view. The key technique that assists this “letting in” is listening along with encouraging them to speak about their reactions and current thoughts or feelings. Only then will they have space to process anything more. The key to change is the formation of new pathways, and in addition to this, structures to encourage, remind and nudge you into maintaining this new way, are critical. Otherwise the old structures, ie life as it was, will be sure to pull you back into old patterns. A 360 degree feedbackshould start within the first quarter of someone starting their role within the organization.cOnce someone has transitioned into a role, they need support and feedback to maximise their faith within the organisation but further to this is the need to constantly analyse as a business where you can support your staff. Team members, similar to colleagues and direct reports, typically provide excellent feedback. In a sense, team members are colleagues, and when they have sufficient contact with the employee, they provide thoughtful and accurate information. Since 360-degree feedback processes are currently usually anonymous, people receiving feedback have no recourse if they want to further understand the feedback. They have no one to ask for clarification about unclear comments or for more information about particular ratings and their basis. Thus, developing 360 process coaches is important. Supervisors, HR staff people, interested managers, and others are taught to assist people to understand their feedback and trained to help people develop action plans based on the feedback. Evaluating 360 appraisal can uncover issues that may be affecting employee performance.

For the successful implementation of a 360-degree assessment, you need to think of it as a project and administer it from beginning to end. Follow these seven steps to make it easy to manage and get more out of the assessment results. It is important to inform all stakeholders the purpose and benefits of using 360 degree feedbackfor performance appraisals. It is key to talk about how 360 degree feedbackwill be used and how to interpret the results for improvement. If you are conducting a 360-degree review for yourself, consider showing the results to your supervisor or an experienced colleague/coach to hear their feedback on your report and what the next steps could be. Employers should use 360 surveys if the survey promotes two outcomes: employees’ accountability for past performance and development for future performance. This requires mapping out a thorough performance action plan and ensuring all employees understand the intent and value behind it. The move from development to pay assessment in 360 degree systems may motivate some people to try to "game the system" to their favor by providing invalid responses. A response is invalid when the person makes a rating that tends to the scale extremesat the top or at the bottomalthough the probability that any single person is uniformly outstanding or terrible is nearly zero. Researching what is 360 degree feedback is known to the best first step in determining your requirements and brushing up on your understanding in this area.

Effective Human Resources Are Crucial

Make sure both of you are totally comfortable in a 360 degree feedbacksession, swap business cards, ensure phones are off, a clock is visible to you, that you have your notebook out and pen at the ready. You will have a nice colour-bound copy of their report there to present to them. They may have nothing or they may have brought a fully marked-up or highlighted copy of their report and they may have a notebook. Check you both have the drink you need and settle in gently, building rapport as you go. A common route of upset in 360 degree feedbackdata is an unfulfilled expectation. For whatever reason, you expect someone’s opinion to be a certain way. That person may have said or done something to lead you to believe they had this opinion or judgment, or they may simply have omitted to say anything. Taking feedback from key colleagues and managers through a 360 appraisal is a powerful way of spotting performance gaps. It also enables you to identify how self-aware your employees are and understand the impact they have on the rest of the organisation. You can find supplementary insights relating to 360-Degree review technologies at this Wikipedia page.

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