360 Degree Feedback

History of 360 Degree feedback 

As a term, 360 degrees is derived from pilots’ visual checks before take-off.

360-degree feedback, also known as a multi-source assessment, is a process in which someone’s performance is assessed through several people who may include their manager, subordinates, colleagues and customers

According to Lepsinger and Lucia 

  “The feedback process which involves collecting perceptions about a person’s behaviour and the impact of that behaviour from the person’s boss or bosses, direct reports, colleagues, fellow members of project teams, internal and external customers, and suppliers” 

There are two common uses of the 360-degree feedback implementation: development and appraisal and performance management purposes. Most research declares that 360-degree approaches provide beneficial results when used for performance evaluating purposes 

                         Leading role by responsibilities

In 360 degree review, there are few leading roles by responsibilities that play vital roles for creating a successful review.

The roles are:

1.   Administrator

2.   Subject

3.   Manager

4.   Reviewer (sometimes called “Rater”)

The Administrator

This role is one of the most important in a 360 review

The main responsibilities for the administrator are:

1.   Explain the purpose and benefits behind the review to everyone.

2.   Ensure the review process is clear to the reviewers, manager, and subject.

3.   Administrate the feedback collection, either by survey or interview.

4.   Coach the subject’s manager to help them understand the results and action plan after the review.

5.   Present and discuss the results with the subject.

6.   Develop a plan and help provide resources for the subject of the review after discussing the results.

The Subject

The subject of the review is the person that is being reviewed by their peers and their managers.

Here are some key points for the subject to consider:

·        The people reviewing you are not judging you. They are providing feedback candidly and constructively.

·        The feedback that is given is no right or wrong. It’s just feedback.

·        You don’t have to change anything about yourself or your behaviour after a review if you decide not to. Of course, if you don’t make any changes you won’t learn new skills or see different outcomes at work, but it’s your choice.

·        You may be asked to review yourself as well. This is only meant to identify blind spots you may have.

·        The review will identify places where you can change your behaviour or develop new skills to help you succeed at your goals.

The Reviewers

Reviewers are the people who work around the reviewers. The responsibilities of the reviewers are to provide constructive feedback for the subject honestly and candidly.

The Manager

The manager has a similar job to a reviewer: Generally, the manager is being asked to answer questions about the employees’ skills, behaviour, and interpersonal relationships.

After the review, the manager and the administrator will meet to discuss a development plan for the subject to improve skills and relationships.

A 360 review is a great way for a good employee to get even better, and for a struggling employee to learn where to improve.

Feedback Methods

Generally, the following methods are used to collect data for 360-degree feedback

1.            Formal Methods                                   2.     Informal Methods

1 - Formal method  :

Paper-based questionnaires

One possible method for gathering feedback is questionnaires. Questionnaires are designed to gather information about measurable aspects of an employee's work by Likert scales or different scoring methods (Dewing et al., 2004).  

Online questionnaire

Online questionnaires are becoming more and more common within organizations. This data gathering method allows the rater to complete the questionnaire and send it electronically to the researcher (Ward, 2004). 

 Structured interviews

 There are three ways to get feedback through an interview

·        Telephone interviews 

·         Group interviews

·        Face-to-face interviews.

Group interviews are known as the least reliable way of interviewing the raters. During 360 degree appraisals usually, one-on-one interviews are utilized to collect qualitative data (Lepsinger and Lucia, 1997).

Collecting the best information required the facilitator or the manager to be trained. The question format is generally based on open-ended questions.

 Informal Methods

When it is preferred to use unstructured interviews to gather feedback; the level of the analyst’s skill is significant to get the best result (Ward, 2004).

Collecting feedback through e-mails from the raters is another informal method