360-Degree Feedback is A Tool For Growth
360-degree feedback is a tested method of improving the productivity and job satisfaction of employees. Generally, 8 to 15 people provide the feedback by answering an online questionnaire. Their responses help employees see themselves as others see them. They’re encouraged to capitalize on their strengths and work on valuable changes.
A Strategic Initiative
360-degree feedback programs support strategic initiatives:
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Increased competitive advantage
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Development of leaders
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Increased productivity
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Improved morale and job satisfaction
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Retention of high-performing employees
Feedback about all the individuals can be aggregated into a single report, providing a powerful strategic perspective on the strengths of the entire organization. 360-degree feedback can support processes such as:
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Performance improvement
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Continuous improvement
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The learning organization
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Kaizen
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Total quality management
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Quality circles
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Process re-design
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Re-engineering
A Secure, Confidential Questionnaire
Here's how it works. People who are familiar with performance of the individual are invited to answer a simple, secure questionnaire, with the promise that their replies will be kept anonymous. They rate the individual on the skills most valued in the workplace. They also provide comments in their own words. Often the senior leadership are assessed first, then managers and front-line employees.
The Report Combines All Responses
Within a week or two, the responses are combined into a confidential report. Generally, it is presented to the individual in the context of coaching, mentoring, or other support.
A Wealth Of Information
By enabling individuals to see themselves as others see them, 360-degree feedback provides information they can act on, spotlighting both strengths and areas for development. Benefits for the individual:
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Increases self-knowledge
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Encourages continuous learning and growth
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Stimulates individuals to enhance their strengths
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Identifies areas that need development
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Provides guidance for positive change
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Supports coaching and mentoring initiatives
Why Call It "360-Degree Feedback"?
The power of 360-degree feedback is that it collects data from a panorama of perspectives. The individual gets frank feedback from every point of the compass: managers, peers, direct reports, internal and external customers, and more. By contrast, ordinary performance appraisals are often criticized because over-extended supervisors can assess only a few aspects of an employee's work. And self-assessment by the individual doesn't always lead to growth, because it is limited in perspective.
Aggregate Results
For the organization, individual growth is only one benefit of a 360-degree feedback project. The aggregated results (or "group report") can also provide strategically rich measurements of its human capital, guide marketing, and target training—all without breaching individual confidentiality.
A Growing Trend
360-degree feedback programs have been with us for over half a century, evolving to inspire remarkable performance improvements. With the Internet, the tool provided new levels of speed, efficiency, reliability, and global accessibility. That's why 360-degree feedback has shown such remarkable growth during recent decades. The original online 360 was developed in 1998 by the pioneers at Panoramic Feedback. For the first time, organizations could control the design of their own questionnaires, while using the facilities of a provider to minimize the work and maximize the speed of the process.
