A 360-degree feedback program can be a powerful way of helping employees grow within their organization. Used successfully, it's a tool that increases engagement, identifies training opportunities and helps employees develop in their own role and go on to succeed in a leadership role.
With a 360-degree assessment tool, employees receive anonymous feedback that can come from direct reports, indirect reports, vendors, etc. Only feedback from their supervisor is not anonymous. It’s used to measure performance, personal growth and development, or a combination of the two. In my organization, employees choose their raters, but our HR team reviews them and makes suggestions to ensure they’re the appropriate choices.
In order to have a successful 360-degree feedback program, there are several key things to consider:
Make sure your CEO and senior leaders are on board.
Leaders should understand the process, and ideally, go through it themselves so that they can relay a positive experience to other employees. In my organization, we started a 360-degree feedback program with the chair of the board, then piloted the program for the senior management team.
Ensure that it measures the core competencies needed to succeed.
Create metrics that measure core competencies needed to succeed within your organization and develop a 360-degree program based on that. Our metrics included business acumen, leadership ability, communication skills, etc.
The assessment should also be administered confidentially so that raters feel they can give honest, constructive feedback. One way to ensure confidentiality is by using an outside firm to administer an electronic survey. Be sure to communicate to staff that only HR and the employee being evaluated will see the report.
Train all staff on the program so that the process is understood.
Many organizations make the mistake of rolling out a program without proper training on providing constructive feedback. This can be a devastating setback. I train raters to give constructive feedback designed to help the person being evaluated grow professionally. For example, saying "It would be helpful to have more staff meetings that cover organizational objectives," is much more effective than, "My boss is a horrible communicator." The former is specific and focused on the area that needs work.
Ensure that it's used for the purpose of growth and development, not performance management.
Though there are some organizations that do this, the 360 assessment should occur separately from performance and salary reviews. Having a purely developmental tool that's separate from promotions or raises prevents raters from overinflating feedback.
One way you can emphasize growth and development is by providing post-360 coaching (this can be internally trained HR staff or external coaches) to participants so that feedback can be discussed in a safe environment. This stresses that the goal of the feedback is to identify areas to work on and possible training and growth opportunities.
Some employees may be upset with some of the feedback, and they'll be looking for an opportunity to reflect on areas that need to be worked on. A coach can help them focus on the issues that need to be addressed and guide them through the 360 analysis report. In my experience, an internal HR coach is more effective because they know employees well. But for top executives, an external coach is ideal.
Create an action plan.
Have employees work with their coach to convert the 360 report into an action plan with steps to address the issues. For example, they may have concluded that better communication is needed with direct reports. So part of the action plan may be to take specific training on communication skills or set up more meetings with their team.
As an internal HR coach, I advise employees to train for the areas we agreed need work. I help identify courses and tools that help them achieve their objectives. As a coach, you're not only helping an employee interpret the report, but helping them reflect on development opportunities and things they're great at. It should be a positive experience. Maybe you can even suggest they're ready to aim for that promotion! But above all, "walk the talk." Make sure you participate in your own 360 so you can sing its praises and share how it has helped you.
Following these steps can help you implement and maintain a 360-degree feedback program that truly helps your organization and employees succeed.
