The 12 Components of the best 360°assessments

360-degree assessments are the backbone of most corporations’ leadership development programs.

But not all surveys are in the same class as far as quality, the effectiveness of the implementation process, and the added services that they offer.

360-degree assessments are a central component in many leadership-development programs. But not allassessments provide the same value to individual leaders or to the organization.

The best assessments offer participants powerful insights into how others perceive their leadership strengths and weaknesses. These become a solid impetus for personal change. Organizations that offer multi-rater feedback at the start of their leadership development programs benefit from participants who are much more receptive and engaged in their learningopportunities.

There are many avenues from which to obtain 360-degree assessments. Talent management systems often provide clients with the ability to create and process their own. Data processing firms provide lists of survey items from which a client may choose.

Given so many choices, how can organizations determine what qualifies as a highly effectiveinstrument?

Zenger Folkman has gathered statistical data from over 1.5 million 360-degree assessments over 122 thousand global leaders!

The following elements are the ones Zenger Folkman believes to be the most important to consider:

• Empirical Selection of Competencies: The best assessments identify key competencies based on statistical evidence, ensuring they truly differentiate high performers from low performers.
• Meaningful Questions: Each question in the assessment should be carefully chosen to provide valuable insights, avoiding unnecessary or irrelevant items.
• Avoidance of False Positives: The assessment should be designed to prevent misleadingly positive results, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
• Clarity for Participants: The assessment must be easy to understand for participants, avoiding complex or technical language.
• Impact on Employee Engagement: It should measure how a leader's behavior directly affects employee commitment and engagement.
• Role-Specific Competencies: The assessment identifies which competencies are most important for each leader’s role, helping to prioritize development efforts.
• Focus on Major Flaws: Written feedback should concentrate on significant weaknesses rather than minor areas for improvement.
• High Standards: The results should be compared to a high and meaningful standard to provide context for the leader’s performance.
• Strengths-Based Development: The assessment should lead to a development plan that is personally relevant and focused on the leader’s strengths.
• Data Security: Ensuring the security of personal data collected during the assessment is crucial.
• Participant Confidence: It’s important to build and maintain participant confidence regarding how their personal data will be used.
• Organizational Insights: The data collected should be leveraged to gain valuable insights into the organization’s talent pool, helping to identify high potentials and measure team effectiveness.

Leaders want and need the kind of feedback that can only be received through confidential 360-degree assessments. When administered properly, they will accept it and use it to help become more successful.

We encourage organizations to seriously consider these 12 elements when selecting 360-degree instruments for their development programs.

You make the choice. But...we can help you choose the best leadership assessments, according to your needs, based on research from the top experts worldwide.

Contact Achieve Performance Consulting Group for further information.

T: 210-6835473, 210-6824287

Email: [email protected]

Source: Zenger Folkman -The 12 Components of the Best 360-Degree Assessments- by Jack Jenger and Joe Folkman.