To shed light on the leadership development of their managers, many companies seek feedback from people who work with the manager and ask them how they perceive the manager's leadership. A common practice is to collect information through 360-degree feedback surveys .
Whenmanagers receivetheir 360-degree feedback results , they often immediately want to compare their scores with other managers. This is normal, of course, because we all wonder whether our results are above or below average. If you want to compare your results with other people, then it is important to decide what average you are comparing yourself to so that you don't get the wrong idea. The right comparison allows you to perceive the results correctly and take the right actions accordingly. That's why todayI'm going to tellyouabout 7 points of comparison where you can comparethe results of your 360-degree surveysand create context:
1-Global Benchmark: This figure shows the average score of all respondents surveyed in the company. Before comparing this figure with your own result, you need to know whether the survey conducted in your company used the standardized questionnaire administered to all leaders around the world. Because this option is only valid if the standard questionnaire was used. If you have adaptedyour 360-degree feedback survey according to the "leadership competencies"in your organization, this option is invalid. In this case it is appropriate to use the institutional norm.
2-Benchmarking against the Organization Norm: Includes everyone in the organization who participated in the 360-degree feedback survey. If you are implementing a new customized survey in your company, at least 10 respondents should take the survey in order to establish an accurate norm for the report.
3-Comparison with Previous Score: This is a comparison of the individual's results in the previous survey with their current results (self-comparison). In order to track progress against this benchmark and tomaintain an open dialog with others aboutyour managerial performance,it is best practice to conduct the 360 survey regularly once a year.
4-Benchmarking by Role:If you use the standard questionnaire offered by 360-degree feedback providers, you have the possibility to see averages by job type (e.g. all health managers, IT managers or HR managers).
5-Benchmarking against the Top 10%: In this benchmarking, the results of the group of high-potential managers in the organization can be used as a benchmark. It can also be in formats like first quarter, first 20 percent.
6-Leadership Level Benchmarking: Most of the time, these benchmarking by leadership level are done through 360-degree feedback questionnaires that are individually tailored to each group. These are comparisons between individual contributors, team leaders, managers, senior managers, deputy general managers.
7-Benchmarking by Geography: Most managers want to be compared to colleagues in their region. This can be important because, due to cultural differences, people in some parts of the worldmay tend to rateotherslower or higher on360 degreesurveys.
When you receive your 360-degree report, it is important to make the right comparisons so that you don't make decisions and react in the wrong way. We recommend using one or two benchmarks in your 360-degree feedback surveys to draw the right conclusions. But more than two can lead to confusion. Properly done comparisons and accurate benchmarks like this allow managers receiving 360-degree feedback to quickly see their strengths and areas for improvement. Choosing a valid benchmark for respondents will help 360-degree feedback surveys hit the bull's-eye.
When comparing your 360-degree results, you can share the issues that challenge you and the good practices you have done with us via the form below.
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