What is 360-Degree Feedback?
360 degree feedback also called multi-rater or multi source feedback is an instrument to review and provide input on employees’ performances. The goal of using this method is to get comprehensive feedback from different sources about performance and areas of improvement.
The process usually involves two parts:
- Survey: A structured survey or questionnaire is distributed to a diverse group of raters, including the employee under evaluation, their direct manager or supervisor, peers or colleagues from the same level, subordinates or direct reports (if applicable), and potentially external stakeholders such as clients or customers.
- Discussion: The next step is a one-on-one discussion with a facilitator about the results. During this session, the facilitator presents the compiled feedback results, highlighting areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, identified by the various raters.
5 Steps of 360-Degree Feedback Form
The feedback process can be broken down into five steps:
Step 1: Choose the criteria
The first step in the process is to choose the criteria for rating employees. It is mainly used to assess an employee’s soft skill sets and review job performance for the appraisal. You can choose criteria such as decision making, taking responsibility, communication, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking for assessment. The questions or the more commonly used statements should be multiple choice (usually rated on a scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”) carefully selected to align with the organisation’s and individual’s goals and objectives, and provide a well-rounded assessment of their performance.
Step 2: Select Raters
The next step in the feedback process is to select the raters who will provide feedback. The raters should be carefully chosen to ensure that they have experience working with the reviewee and can provide honest and constructive feedback. Raters typically include managers, peers, direct reports, and customers. The number of raters can vary, but a larger number of raters can help to ensure that the feedback is more comprehensive and representative of the individual’s performance.
Step 3: Launch the survey
This can be done using a variety of tools, including online surveys or paper-based questionnaires. The confidentiality and anonymity of the feedback data should also be emphasised to encourage honest and open feedback from the raters. A good rule of thumb is to allow at least two weeks for the raters to respond, to account for any holidays or busy periods.
Step 4: Collect and analyse the feedback
Once the agreed-upon time has passed, the feedback data will be collected and analysed. This data should be reviewed carefully to ensure that it is reliable and valid, and any anomalies or inconsistencies should be investigated. The data can be analysed using a variety of methods, including rating scales, behavioural descriptions, and open-ended comments. The results should be presented concisely, and all the strengths and areas for improvement should be clearly highlighted.
Step 5: Discuss the results
The final step in the process is to discuss the results with the individual being assessed. The skills and experience of the facilitator will be crucial to the success of the step. The discussion should be done in a one-on-one setting and conducted in a way that is supportive and non-judgmental. All strengths and any areas for improvement should be discussed in a constructive and supportive manner. It is important to ensure that the individual understands the feedback and is able to create a plan for development based on it.
When Should it be Used?
As you have figured out by now, 360 degree feedback can be a powerful tool for improving performance, communication, and even leadership skills. Here are some ways you can use it to support your employees:
1. Business Goals Alignment: If done right, 360 feedback should directly link the company’s goals and strategy to the employee’s performance. For example, if the company wants their leaders to be adaptable in times of change, then the 360-degree survey will include a statement about the target’s ability to adapt to the changing priorities of the business. You can work with employees to create SMART(specific, measurable, attainable, realistic or relevant, and time bound) development goals that are based on real feedback and designed to help employees improve their performance.
2. Coaching: You can use 360 degree feedback forms to facilitate feedback conversation and coaching sessions with employees. These sessions can provide an opportunity for employees to discuss their performance in a supportive and non-judgmental environment. You can use these sessions to help employees understand their feedback, identify areas for improvement, and create a plan to address these areas. Additionally, it can help in providing guidance for the employees to achieve their development goals.
3. Performance Management: The company can use the feedback to complement and enhance performance management systems. Incorporating feedback from multiple sources into performance evaluations can lead to more accurate evaluations and better-informed decisions about employee development and promotions. Furthermore, the company can use the form’s data to curate learning materials to the right people at the right time.
4. Leadership development: 360 degree feedback form can be a valuable tool for assessing the leadership skills and development needs of leaders as part of an internal or external leadership development program. It can be used at the beginning to provide a baseline for measuring progress or during the program to assess the effectiveness of the training, and at the end to evaluate progress. This provides both the participants and the organisers with a roadmap for ongoing growth and development.
Benefits of 360-Degree Feedback
There are numerous reasons why you would want to use 360 degree feedback in your organisation. Let’s take a look at the more significant ones:
1. Improved self-awareness and personal growth: With feedback from multiple sources, people can identify their strengths and areas where they need to improve, then develop a plan for personal and professional growth. This is especially useful if the individual’s manager is not providing direct feedback on their performance or development opportunities.
2. Better communication and teamwork: The data gathered through 360-degree surveys helps improve communication among team members by giving them insights into how they’re perceived by people they work with. It provides an opportunity for open and honest feedback, leading to more productive and collaborative work environments.
3. Enhances leadership and management skills: Each company has its own understanding of what good leadership should be. But 360 feedback gives us flexibility in terms of what to assess and tells us what to focus our development efforts on.
4. Increase motivation and engagement: A more comprehensive view of our performances can boost our self-awareness and encourage us to take ownership of our development. In addition, companies can use 360 degree feedback to recognise talent and celebrate achievements. It highlights areas where employees have excelled and provides feedback on how they can grow and develop their skills further. This feedback allows organisations to create a positive culture of recognition and appreciation.