The 360 degree feedback refers to a full-circle employee development assessment. Recommendations born from 360 feedback are believed to lead to positive changes in performance and job satisfaction as employees acquire a cumulative awareness of their own strengths and a better view of how they are perceived within the organization. However, the desired outcome cannot be achieved without training for 360 review.

Training for 360 review assessments will help administrators develop a program that not only benefits the employee in terms of development and performance but also the entire organization. Training in 360 feedback leadership development will benefit your firm in a number of ways:

1. Employ under-utilized strengths uncovered in a 360 review to increase your bottom line.

2. Effectively market the skill sets of your personnel.

3. Utilize human capital data from 360 feedback to increase the perceived value of your firm.

4. Develop more effective coaching and training programs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Engage a consultant to help develop 360 executive reviews

Human Resources consultants can be an invaluable resource in designing 360 degree feedback assessments. Consulting professionals that specialize in performance management systems can give you the personal and dedicated assistance necessary to customize a program to the needs of your organization.

I recommend: Cornerstone Business Coaching knows that developing leaders within your ranks is key to your success. Their 360 leadership development process will help you develop a program to meet your performance goals. Les Woller, a Lominger International associate, specifically supports 360 management initiatives. He is a leading 360 review provider of training for line and HR professionals.

Explore self-study to learn the basics of 360 executive review

For professionals that prefer independent study a number of articles and guides have been written on the subject of 360 degree feedback. These expert texts provide a basic overview of 360 feedback, program design and analysis of 360 degree feedback reports.

I recommend: The Handbook of Multisource Feedback is the one-stop reference book on 360 review. The book outlines best practices regarding the design and implementation of your feedback program from multiple perspectives. Leveraging the Impact of 360-Degree Feedback is a how-to guide that can be easily understood and applied. The book outlines a 10-step program for implementing and maintaining an effective 360 degree feedback initiative.

Attend seminars presented by 360 review providers

Those who provide performance management services are a good source of training for 360 review. As experts in their field and suppliers of 360 feedback review tools they can impart knowledge straight from the horse's mouth. Their seminars or workshops will provide the necessary training as well as resources for the tools your firm will need.

I recommend: Select, Assess & Train offers a variety of training services - seminars, facilitation and workshops. They specifically offer 360 degree performance feedback workshops to meet the needs of your organization. The Richardson Company offers a unique approach to 360 degree feedback training. Their resource kit is a workshop-in-a-box which leads you step-by-step through preparing and training your organization.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before trying to implement a 360 feedback process, study the best practices provided in your training. A poorly constructed 360 review will result in flawed data.

In 360 degree performance reviews, you track and assess your employee performance with the help of employee peers, management and other relevant people. A 360 degree peer review allows you to tap into the knowledge of those who work alongside your employees or otherwise observe your employees, rather than simply using your own limited observation of that employee. Find the best 360 degree performance reviews to fit your employees’ and business’s specific needs by considering the following: 

1. Limit your 360 degree peer review according to your company’s specifications.
2. Employees - and subordinates - who participate in another person’s 360 degree employee peer review appreciate the chance to give positive (or improvement-related) feedback to make their workplace a better place.
3. Identify areas for improvement, hidden strengths and weaknesses, and more through 360 degree peer review systems.

 

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get help from flexible 360 degree performance reviews

Performance reviews are a vital tool for tracking employees' work. Find a 360 degree peer review system that allows you the flexibility to customize questions, specific skills assessed, review samples and more.

I recommend: Reactive 360 is an online 360 degree review, appraisal and feedback system with many flexible options, including the ability to create your own questionnaires and design your own reports.

Use a Web based 360 degree review program

A Web based 360 degree review can be accessed by a number of designated employees via an Internet connection anywhere at any time. With a Web based 360 degree review program, you don't need to install software or pay for multiple licenses. Web based 360 degree performance reviews also offer the flexibility of allowing employees to conduct employee peer reviews at their convenience.

I recommend: Check out Promantek's Multi-Rater Evaluation Software, an easy-to-use, Web based 360 degree review tool that imports your company's information, requests employee peer reviews, provides email notifications to review participants and provides instant feedback. Visit Halogen e360, an employee performance management technology firm, for Web-based applications that streamline the 360 review process.

Use 360 degree review programs for management, consultants and others

Look for 360 degree review systems that are designed specifically for those whose performances can really make or break the company (and the other employees) - the management. Confidential 360 review assessments allow employees (who would otherwise be afraid of speaking freely) to offer feedback on the performance of company leaders.

I recommend: 360 Degree Feedback System's customizable content and automated processes help you do 360 degree performance reviews of consultants, managers, HR professionals and enterprise-level organizations. The leadership assessment survey outlines each participant's performance, strengths, and weaknesses as a leader/manager. Check out The Leadership Culture Survey to assess your company's leaders.

Find 360 degree review options in employee performance management software packages

Some employee performance software offers the 360 degree review as a feature. With a 360 review feature, you can input the collected information into your employee performance software for a well-rounded analysis of that person's strengths and weaknesses.

I recommend: The Checkpoint Peer Review offers an ongoing process of confidential reviews that covers 70 specific job skills, which fall into eight major 'skill clusters' and 18 'skill groups.'

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Follow the law: Find a 360 degree peer review program that automatically scans for non-compliant language, slurs and other illegal material.
• •  See clearly: A 360 review helps you miss any 'blind spots' (especially unwanted behaviors) employees may not exhibit in your presence.
• •  Think flexibility: The most effective 360 degree performance reviews are those that you can adjust to fit your organization's and employees' specific goals and measures.
• •  Put customers to work: Find 360 degree review options that allow you to consider the customers' input in assessing employees' performance.
• •  DIY 360 review: Your budget and time constraints help determine whether you (or an outside firm) should manage your 360 performance reviews.

In order for 360 degree feedback to be truly successful, it should be applied as a tool to enhance employee development and as a means to realize the company goals. Management support and communication with the employees are necessary throughout the project to attain the maximum value for this initiative. In addition, selecting the right tools when working with 360 review based on your company culture and climate will make administration of the project much easier.

The 360 management and planning processes must consider the benefits and perceived risks of all involved. Employees and their reviewers may have concerns about the confidentiality of the reviews, how the 360 feedback will be used within the organization and what type of follow up can be expected. In addition to those concerns, addressing the following will help you while working with 360 review:

1. Will the 360 review data be used as an employee training and development tool or a performance appraisal tool?

2. Will automated 360 surveys or paper versions be the most effective for your firm?

3. Should the 360 feedback data be collected anonymously or as part of a facilitated face-to-face meeting?

4. Will the employee retain the 360 degree feedback reports or will the company control access to the data?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Employ 360 review survey services to develop your questionnaire

The 360 feedback survey is the basis for your project. The survey must measure various dimensions of employee performance in order to provide relevant results. The 360 review questions should address leadership skills, initiative, and communication skills. To achieve findings that have an impact, utilize a survey with the proper mix of rating questions and open-ended questions.

I recommend: HR-Survey specializes in the creation of 360 feedback surveys. They customize 360 management surveys of any length with real time status reports and no equipment to purchase or software to install. The Booth Company has over 35 years of 360 feedback experience. They will review your unique company culture and values to provide you with 360 executive reviews that address your specific goals.

Utilize an online 360 review provider for easy administration

Online 360 review providers allow you access to tools that make 360 review administration user friendly. Online systems make it possible to control access to findings so managers can view results from their direct reports and the confidentiality of other departments is maintained. Other benefits of online tools include integrated reporting functions and easy user and rater administration.

I recommend: Ascendus Technologies allows firms to enjoy an instant free trial of their Team360 product. Their enterprise package has the option of purchasing an annual package or a private label perpetual site license. RealTime Performance offers a complete web-based solution with the RealPath product suite. The application can readily identify gaps in employee skills and makes recommendations for improvement.

Contract 360 degree feedback services for a complete consulting solution

Consulting firms can provide complete 360 review surveys - from design to implementation. They will help you design a complete customized survey system, implement the process, provide a full suite of reports and follow-up coaching to help you make the best use of the data.

I recommend: Team New England design surveys with detailed narrative comments to provide valuable insight. They also possess the coaching expertise to help you further develop your staff based on 360 review results. Pilat HR Solutions provides a full-range of consulting services to make the most of your 360 review process with process audits, performance improvement solutions, process integration and implementation and management coaching.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Smaller organizations that are new to 360 feedback and have limited HR resources available should consider using an existing survey as opposed to creating your own 360 review form. You will realize a greater return on your investment and benefit from the expertise of those more experienced.

Whether you’re conducting your own 360 employee review or are working with a consulting group to collect and decipher the data, it’s important to know industry terminology to ensure you’re on the same page when analyzing and discussing results. Not only will knowing terms like “competencies” and “XX” help you gather the data you need to evaluate an employee, it will also enable you to effectively explain the results and use it to create effective employee training and guidance.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Process audit

Some 360 consulting firms recommend conducting a process audit before beginning any employee reviews. By assessing the company's operations through the audit, you'll be able to determine not only which employees or departments should be included in 360 reviews but also monitor the change in department performance after the review process is complete.

I recommend: Pilat HR Solutions discusses the process audit, including benefits and possible tools to help conduct the analysis.

Multi-rater feedback

Multi-rater feedback, also called multi-source feedback, multi-level feedback and peer review, is the gathering of information from several sources to get an assessment of an employee's performance. Resources can include everyone the employee works with regularly, from peers to clients.

I recommend: HR-Survey provides additional information, benefits and online demonstrations of ways to gather multi-rater feedback.

Competencies

When gathering employee feedback from managers, subordinates or co-workers, for example, you may wish to ask about a core group of competencies. These competencies, also called dimension definitions, are common strengths and weaknesses that are vital to the job and allow you to get a sense of the employee's performance.

I recommend: Some consultants and companies providing 360 review services, like the Leadership Circle, will provide you with a list of competencies or customize their data to include the factors you want to consider.

Peer review

In addition to receiving feedback on employees from their peers, you can also use a peer review system with a small focus group first to fine tune the 360 review process. Peer programs can also be helpful to increase teamwork in each department.

I recommend: Toolpack Consulting discusses the value of a peer review process and how it’s integral to any 360 review program.

Coaching profiles

To implement changes as a result of 360 review feedback, it's helpful to appoint coaches to guide fellow employees or subordinates. Coaching profiles help you identify supervisors or managers with strengths in specific areas to help with the training.

I recommend: Get more details about coaching profiles through 360 process details at Training CPS.

Development actions

After analyzing the data from a 360 review, it's vital to put the data to good use by drafting a list of development actions. These actions will give the manager and employee guidelines on the additional training, guidance or duties that will benefit the employee's performance in the future.

I recommend: Read sample development actions provided in a mock employee review analysis at 360 Degree Feedback.