Helping individuals grow through 360-degree feedback is critically important in times like this, when we have to accomplish more with fewer people.
Here are 10 ways to make sure you get the most value from your 360s.
1. Ask your leaders to talk-up the advantages of 360 to the health of the organization. For instance, remind responders that they benefit when recipients grow in skills; everyone’s work becomes more satisfying and secure.
2. Check every part of the process for relevance. For instance, do your announcement emails tie 360 to the organization’s goals? Does the questionnaire reflect its values, current focus, people needs?
3. Run a local pre-test with one or more recipients and a handful of responders. Scrutinize announcement emails, questionnaires, reports, to be sure everything appears as you intend.
4. Clarify confidentiality policies ahead of time. Tell recipients of feedback whether their reports will be seen by others. Re-assure responders that no one will know who said what.
5. Plan for coaching. Whether your coaches are managers, HR personnel, or career coaches, train them to interpret 360-degree feedback results so the recipient will get the greatest possible value.
6. Help recipients choose the right responders, ranging from those who know them well to those with purely business relationships. If they try to stack the deck with “friends”, their 360 will be less helpful and accurate.
7. Guide responders to give feedback that can be “heard” by the recipient. For instance, any negative comments should critique the behavior, not the person.
8. Provide reports to recipients as quickly as possible after closing date, to maintain momentum and excitement.
9. Use aggregated group reports to provide your leaders with metrics about the health of their human capital.
10. Evaluate the process using group reports. Check which departments or locations had fewer responses, so you can ensure their success next time by giving them extra attention.
