What is 360-Degree Feedback?

360-degree feedback is a development process that provides a safe environment for a person to receive candid feedback from colleagues, supervisors, subordinates and others who play a key role in their success.

Perhaps surprisingly, 360 feedback has been around since 1940 and has become a very effective development tool for employee development. 360-degree feedback originated from the use of a training method called "T-groups" or training groups, where participants meet with their colleagues in an open session facilitated by a trained moderator and where the sharing of feedback is encouraged.

In the past, 360-degree feedback was a difficult process to manage as it required significant time and effort to collect paper forms, compare and read the data and prepare a summary report. These obstacles have been overcome by advances in technology that now allow the entire process to be done online, increasing confidentiality and greatly speeding up the process. Today, about one-third of all companies and 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies use some form of 360-degree feedback.

Why 360 Feedback?

Without feedback, we tend to create our own reality. The 360-degree feedback tool is a vital part of performance, growth and development. It helps us understand ourselves and how we interact with others, as well as our impact on those around us. The perceptions of others in our sphere of influence often influence our level of success, regardless of whether those perceptions are true or false. This is where 360 feedback comes in.

The first step in improving individual or organizational performance is to gain an awareness of our level of performance. Many of us have an incomplete understanding of how others see us, leading to ineffective interaction and reduced overall effectiveness. Without being aware of our behaviors, as well as how others perceive them, we cannot begin to improve ourselves.

Most organizations today use 360 feedback in some form, although the purpose varies.

As Success Programme, we tailor the 360-degree feedback process based on the needs of your organization to achieve your goals.

The benefits of 360-degree feedback processes can be summarized under the following three main headings.

1. Targeted Career Development

• Focuses on personal and career development
• Discover where you are and where you need to develop or improve
• Results in the creation of a personalized action plan

2. Team Effectiveness

• Focuses on team effectiveness skills as well as strengths and areas for improvement
• Enables groups to come together for goals and work better as a team
• Provides a safe environment to share the "non-negotiables".

3. Performance Evaluation

• Creates a 360-degree perspective on job performance and behaviors
• Provides a more objective and accurate view of individual contributions and effectiveness
• Results can be translated into drivers of administrative actions

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